Preconceived Notions
by Welcome2MyWorldxoxo
Summary: A snowed in cabin. A best friend's brother that she never knew existed. Intensity. Inexperience. And leaving your preconceived notions behind. "Tell me you don't feel it. Tell me it's just me that wants this wants you,and I'll leave you alone." ExB Mature
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This was my entry for the ****Baby Its Cold Outside O/S anonymous contest.** Thanks to Wendy5542 and LoriAnnTwiFan from PTB for looking this over for me. You saved from a horrible death.

**Baby Its Cold Outside O/S Contest**

**PenName: Welcome2MyWorldxoxo**

**Title: Preconceived Notions**

**Rating & Any Needed Warnings: M for moans of the lemon kind**

**Word Count: 9,980**

**Pairing: ExB**

**Summary: A snowed in cabin. A best friend's brother that she never knew existed. Intensity. Inexperience. And leaving your preconceived notions behind. "Tell me you don't feel it." He demanded. "Tell me it's just me that wants this, wants you, and I'll leave you alone."**

**Disclaimer: I do not own. SM does**

When he shall die,  
Take him and cut him out in little stars,  
And he will make the face of heaven so fine  
That all the world will be in love with night,  
And pay no worship to the garish sun.

_Romeo and Juliet. ACT III Scene 2_

My lips moved with every word written on the page, mouthing along to the declarations of love and passion given as a gift to us by William Shakespeare. To think that such love as was portrayed in books was real seemed like a far-fetched notion given to us by Hallmark cards and soppy romance novels.

Still, I couldn't help but wish that something like that would happen to me. That someone would come and sweep me off my feet. I rolled my eyes at my own ridiculousness and moved closer to the fire.

I was currently lying in the main room of my best friend's British Columbia cabin. We had decided to go away for a week for some girl time, but I had taken an earlier flight than her, since she had found her 'soul mate' at the last minute and now a snowstorm had hit. So there was no going in or out unless you wanted to walk through knee-high snow.

One thing she had forgotten to mention to me was the fact that her brother, someone who she had never thought to mention in all the years I had known her, was living up here.

In this cabin.

Where I was currently stuck.

I let out a sigh and tried to pull down the ridiculously short skirt I was wearing. I guess I had Alice to thank for packing my suitcase. Please note that I am being sarcastic.

Edward.

That was his name.

Alice's brother was called Edward. What I had managed to gather from the three days I had stayed here was that he was quiet, stayed outside most of the time and had these really intense eyes that he would use to stare at you. Not in an uncomfortable way, just in an 'I can see everything you are hiding and I can read your mind' kind of way. Okay, it was slightly uncomfortable.

We had talked a bit here and there, mainly over meals, and I knew that he was twenty-four and had an avid knowledge of every classic book and volume of poetry that lined the walls of the small library down the hall.

He had lived here all year round since buying the property from his parents with his trust fund and was working on his first novel.

One thing we never mentioned was Alice.

It was like we completely skirted around the subject and no matter how much I longed to ask why she had never talked about him, why she had no pictures of him, I never did. It was like an unspoken agreement between us. Everything else we talked about, from cars to religion.

Just then, I heard his heavy boots stomping on the porch, probably to rid them of the snow that I was sure was clinging to them, and the door opened.

A sharp gust of wind whistled through the open door, making me wish that I had decided to wear the extra tight jeans instead of this minuscule skirt.

He walked in, his gaze immediately falling to mine, and cocked an eyebrow. His green eyes probed me in their usual fashion, and the scruff on his chiselled jaw glistened from water droplets from the snow. His clothes were completely sodden and stuck to him like a second skin.

His skin was pink and flushed, and he ran one of his hands through his wet, dishevelled hair. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something before abruptly turning and walking off.

Did I mention that he was kind of strange?

Not in an overt kind of way, but he had these little quirks. Every day he would do that. Stand looking like he wanted to say something, but then just leave. If I really thought about it, I would generally describe his personality as abrupt and intense.

Not that I could really complain.

He had a way of drawing you in with just one look of his eyes and making you say things that you were thinking instead of what you probably should be saying.

I felt like I could be myself around him. Like this was the push I needed to branch out and blossom.

He also cooked up something delicious for dinner every evening. The man knew how to put his hands to good use. I had seen the pile of wood outside just waiting to be placed in the burning fireplace.

I shivered and moved closer to the fire to try and keep myself warm. The door to the main bedroom opened, and I swallowed hard at what I saw. Edward was standing there in nothing but a pair of low slung, dark, ripped jeans with red suspenders straining over his shoulders to keep them up.

His auburn hair was in complete disarray, but looked drier than before, so I assumed that he had run a towel through it. Why I was taking this information in, I had no clue, but Edward made me think and do strange things around him.

Like for instance, the other night when we were sitting together by the fire, and he was reading some poetry to me. All I could think about was how soft and velvety his voice sounded, and how calm and handsome his face was.

I had sat there staring, lost in his voice, for a whole hour not actually registering a word that came out of his mouth.

In all actuality, it was nice for me to be in the presence of someone of the opposite sex without my mother scaring them off by telling them that when they had read the whole Bible and meditated on it that they could start a lengthy courtship. Not exactly the way to get a boyfriend.

My mother was overprotective and had pretty much coddled me for my whole life, 'sheltering me from the evils of this world,' as she liked to put it. She was Catholic and we both went to Mass and confession every week.

Edward walked back into the room and headed straight into the kitchen area. He grabbed an apple and a knife before coming to slump into the armchair near me.

His eyes stared intently into mine as his hands worked to peel the apple. He pressed his thumb against the blade, forcing pressure on it, as he nimbly twisted the apple in his fingers. I watched the lonely trail of red spiral, all the way from the top to the bottom.

He placed the peel on the little table next to his seat and cut a piece off the top. With his eyes still on mine, he slid the piece between his lips and chewed. I swallowed nervously and let my eyes drift downwards towards his neck and jaw. I didn't understand the reactions invoked in me by simply watching the muscles flex and his Adam's apple bob up and down.

I tore my eyes away, embarrassed, and looked back down at my book. My palms were sweating, and the tension in the air was heavy as I inhaled a shuddering breath.

"Would you like some?" he asked, his voice sounding like sandpapered velvet. My eyes shot up to see him offering the apple to me. I nodded slowly; unsure of what other answer I could give him. He cocked his eyebrow and motioned with his head for me to come closer.

I got up on my hands and knees and crawled over to his chair so that I was sitting right by his leg.

He cut a slice off and offered it to me. Even to this day, I do not know what possessed me to do it, but a surge of confidence came through and instead of just taking it like I knew I should have, I raised myself up on my knees and took it straight into my mouth from his fingers.

He froze in his seat, and I didn't dare look up at him. I was mortified by my actions, and I chewed and swallowed the piece quickly. The sweet, crunchy taste of the apple settled me slightly, and I went back to my spot on the rug.

I kept my gaze away from his, even though I could feel the subtle burn of his blazing gaze across my skin. For once, I wished that I had not put my hair up into a ponytail so that I could hide behind my hair.

I chewed on my lip nervously as I heard the squeak of the springs in his chair protest when he stood up. Every step he took sounded amplified, and my breathing picked up as I saw his feet come into view by my head. I glanced up to see him staring down at me with what I could only describe as a slightly wild look on his face. His hands were clenched tightly his sides and he looked tense.

I briefly wondered if I had done something to offend him, but though his eyes held a certain intensity and seemed darker than usual, the expression in his eyes was not what I would describe as anger or irritation.

Whatever his look meant, it did nothing to quell the strange feeling surfacing in the pit of my stomach. I didn't understand the urges that were coursing through me, begging me to be as close as possible to this man.

Without conscious thought, I found myself standing in front of him. It was then that I noticed the dog tags around his neck. I touched them softly, brushing my fingers against his name stamped on it.

"You were in the army," I stated quietly, wondering why he had never mentioned it before. It seemed like to big a part of someone's life to skip over when we had shared information about our pasts.

He hummed in acknowledgement and covered my hand with his. "Two years," he murmured.

My breath stuttered slightly at his touch, and I looked up at him.

His face was so close to mine that I couldn't help but let my eyes dart to his lips. They were parted slightly, and I longed to just reach up and touch them just to see how they would feel. Would they be soft under my finger?

"Bella," he breathed, fanning his hot breath over my face. I let my eyelids droop momentarily as the sweet fragrance washed over me before I looked back up at him. My breath caught in my throat as I recognized the look in his eyes. Desire.

However inexperienced I was, I knew what desire meant...and what it led to. He either desired me or something I had. I struggled fiercely against the urge to take a step back and do what my mother would call 'the right thing'-i.e. run for the hills.

He leaned down closer to me and brushed his lips against mine. He did it so softly I hardly felt it; it was the weight of butterfly wings touching the air, so light and airy.

He pulled back, gauging my reaction before pressing his lips against mine a little harder this time. The rational part of my body told me that I should push him away. I hardly knew him, and this could only lead to sin.

The irrational part of me was already melting into the kiss and telling me just to enjoy it while it lasted. It wasn't like I was actually getting naked here and dancing around a pole. This was just an innocent kiss between two people.

Wasn't it?

My arms wrapped around his neck loosely, and I let my fingers run through the hairs on the back of his neck. I let out a contented sigh and relaxed completely into him. That is until I felt something wet and soft pushing gently on my lips.

His tongue.

I could tell that this was heading into dangerous waters, so I pushed myself away from him, blushing wildly. I chastised myself mentally, annoyed that I let myself get carried away.

It didn't matter how good his lips felt molded against mine in such an intimate way, it was still wrong. It was still so unbelievably nice in a bad sort of way.

He sighed and lifted up one of his hands. His fingers ran through his hair before tugging at it.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, staring at the ground. His eyebrows were drawn together and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I shouldn't have done that."

I nodded in agreement and wished once again that I could hide behind my hair. I had no idea how to act in this circumstance. I had never been kissed me before.

These were new and foreign waters that I was treading in, and I was completely lost and ready to sink. My mother would have been so disappointed in me.

"Bella."

I refused to look up at him. Nothing good could come of letting myself look into his eyes or to seeing those lips that had been pressed against mine a little over a minute ago.

Two large hands cupped my face, bringing it up so that our eyes were level. The rough, calloused pads of his fingers stroked my cheeks gently, and I tried to pull away, not wanting these strange emotions to control me again.

He tightened his grip slightly, refusing to let me escape.

"Look at me," he pleaded.

I reluctantly let my eyes drift up to his face. The agonized look in his eyes tore me apart like a jagged knife being thrust into my chest.

"Tell me you don't feel it," he demanded.

"Tell me it's just me that wants this, wants you, and I'll leave you alone." I averted my eyes and sunk my teeth into my lip.

I was torn.

I knew that I should just tell him that I felt nothing, and we would just go back to the silent, tense atmosphere that had been surrounding us since I had first stepped in here. But my lips still tingled, and I wondered why I shouldn't do this.

My mother had ingrained in me for years that kissing, touching, _sex _should be saved for when I was married. But for all I knew, that day could never come. This could be my only chance to feel something close to a connection.

"Yes," I whispered. "I feel it." I knew what I was doing was dangerous and maybe even stupid, but for some reason I was doing it anyway. As Alice always told me, ' it was time to take the stick out of my behind and just go with the times.'

He lowered his mouth back to mine, and we molded our lips back together like we had been doing it for years. His hands slipped slowly down my face, each finger dragging slowly along my skin, and skimmed over my shoulders before continuing down.

He brushed his hands down the sides of my breasts, and I gasped at the burning intensity that wanted him to place his hands on them firmly and caress them.

Their journey ended with one hand gripping my right hip lightly and the other resting in the small of my back. He pulled me forwards, causing me to stumble into his chest so we were pressed together. I gasped in surprise, and he took this opportunity to slip his tongue back into my mouth.

I hesitated for a second, really not sure what to do with this new development. My nerves decided that this was the perfect time to come up and remind just how little I knew about sexual interactions. The problem wasn't the fact that he had his tongue in my mouth, which I must admit felt quite nice and arousing.

The way it searched and discovered every little nook and cranny, running over my teeth, skimming along the roof of my mouth, felt so good. I just wasn't sure how I was meant to respond to this new experience.

He pulled back, sensing my hesitation, and leaned his forehead against mine. "Relax," he whispered gently. Frustrated tears welled up in my eyes, and I immediately turned my gaze to the floor, not wanting him to think I was some weak, stupid, little girl.

Why did I have to be so sheltered? Why couldn't I just be like every other nineteen year-old girl?

He moved his head back and pulled me to his chest. I pressed my cheek against his heart and listened to the steady beat, trying to get a hold of myself. His chest inflated and deflated as he let out a quiet sigh.

"You know that I won't force you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable, don't you?" The uncertainty and sincerity in his voice reassured me. I knew he would never force me to do anything I didn't want to do, and the only thing holding me back was my naivety about intimacy.

"I know," I whispered. "I just..." A silent tear fell down my cheek, and I made the mistake of brushing it against his chest, alerting him to the fact that my face was wet. "I just don't know what to do," I said pitifully.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me backwards. Here it was, this was the part where he rejected me, realizing that I was some sort of virginal nun. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and focused on the rug tickling my feet.

He placed a hand under my chin and forced me to look up at him. "Bella, you have nothing to be ashamed of." I scoffed at him. It was easy for him to say that. He wasn't the one who couldn't even kiss a guy properly without clamming up.

"I'm serious. That was one of things that drew me to you. The innocence that you exude makes you glow." I blushed, embarrassed by what he had said, and looked up at him. I knew I probably looked like a frightened little mouse, but I knew what I wanted and that was him. I drew in a deep breath.

"I want you," I murmured, my eyes fixed on his so that he might understand the intensity of the statement that I was making. "But, you're going to have to tell me what to do because I am totally clueless."

He nodded slowly and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. "Just be you. That's all I'm asking for. I'll go slow." I let out a long breath and angled my head upwards so that he would kiss me again. He ran the pad of his thumb over my swollen bottom lip before acquiescing to my silent request.

We kissed slowly, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting myself get lost in him. My fingers moved on their own accord and wrapped themselves in his hair. The thick, damp hair felt so right in my hands.

The only noise in the room was our heavy breathing and my thumping heart. I had expected him to try to put his tongue in my mouth again, but instead he shifted his kisses. Just the corner of my mouth first before he drifted down to my jaw, leaving a fiery trail behind.

My skin tingled at the heat of his mouth, and I couldn't control the whimper that escaped my mouth. I let my head fall back slightly, and my eyelids fluttered closed of their own volition. His mouth continued to hunt across my skin, and a moan left my lips at the searing heat of his lips wrapping around the lobe of my ear.

Never had I known such pleasure could exist. The raw intensity that his eyes had held was being released through his mouth and coursing into me. I blushed as I felt wetness between my legs and resisted the urge to rub my thighs together.

The hands that been resting on my hips moved slowly. They dipped under the hem of my tank top, and I gasped at the feel of his cool hands against the bare skin of my back. They pushed up slowly, dragging the material of my top upwards and revealing my stomach at the front.

His hands continued their path up my back, tracing my spine as they went. My breath shuddered as they brushed against my bra and my chest constricted slightly with nerves. To reveal myself to this man in front of me was an inevitable part of what we were doing, but I couldn't help but wonder if he would be pleased by what he saw. There was nothing special about how I looked. I was just your average plain Jane.

"Shh...relax," he whispered, alerting me to the fact that I had tensed up. I relaxed myself slowly, and he pulled back while maintaining eye contact as he pulled my tank top over my breasts. I lifted my arms over my head, and he discarded my top on the floor. My arms automatically moved to shield my breasts from his view. He grasped my wrists and carefully brought them away from my body. My eyes drifted away from his, and I felt a blush creep up my body.

"Don't hide yourself from me, Bella," he murmured. "You're much too beautiful to do that."

My eyes darted back to him, and I expected him to lower his eyes and look, but one thing I was starting to learn was that Edward hardly ever did what I expected him to. He moved round my body until he was standing behind me and placed his hands firmly on my shoulders.

I shivered under his touch and clenched my fists tightly together to try and stop my body from shaking. It was not from fear that I was shaking, oh no, but from the sheer intensity of the sexual tension that swam around between us in the air.

The smell of his woodsy scent dragged me below the surface of want, and his breath on my neck burned me like the flames in the pit of hell.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he whispered as he flicked the straps of my bra off my shoulders. My breathing was coming out in desperate pants, and I tried to focus on taking enough air into my lungs so that I wouldn't pass out.

When I didn't answer, he pulled me flush against him, and I could feel the bulge poking into my lower back telling me just what I did to him. A small gasp left me, and I couldn't help but ask for confirmation. "I did that?" I whispered, not quite believing the evidence.

"Only you, Bella. Only you." Frankly, I was shocked. Never had I invoked such a response, a reaction like this, in a man. My heart inflated at the thought that I had caused Edward to harden just by being my usual awkward self.

His lips dragged along the curve of my neck and down along the bridge of my shoulder. His once even breathing came out heavy, more laboured, as he let one lone finger trail a slow path down my neck and spine. I shivered as it stopped at the top of my bra clasp and I felt it come loose a few small tugs later.

The lacy material brushed against my skin as it slid slowly down my arms, pausing at the crook in my elbow before falling at my feet. A breeze that I had not known was there grazed along the skin of my newly exposed flesh, and my nipples responded to the change in temperature immediately by puckering up and hardening.

Goosebumps erupted on my skin, and I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that I was half-naked. I forced my arms not to cover myself up and turned around so that I was facing him. Our eyes connected, and I could tell it was taking a lot out of him to keep them there.

"You can look," I whispered, chewing on my lip again. I felt slightly more confident than I had when we first started out, knowing that he wanted me the way I was without lingerie or plucking or waxing every inch of my body.

His eyes flickered down to my uncovered chest, and I stayed as still as possible. His eyes remained glued on my chest for a full minute before he tore them away and looked back into my eyes. The desire and lust that I had seen in them earlier had multiplied ten-fold.

His mouth crashed against mine without warning and I squeaked in shock at the rough movements of his mouth. My hands dug themselves deep in his hair, and my mouth responded with the same desperate roughness that I felt running through me.

Our mouths were like a connection to our emotions, and we poured them out without such much as a second thought. His hands pulled the tie out of my hair and delved into it, pulling and tugging at it.

My fingers dug into his scalp and yanked at his hair, causing a hiss to leave his mouth. I paused, wondering if that had been a good hiss or a bad one, before pulling on his hair again. This time, he groaned and tugged my bottom lip between his and sucked and nibbled on it.

Our bare chests rubbed against each other as we lowered ourselves onto our knees. My breaths were coming out in heavy pants, and I wrenched my mouth away from his, panting. My hands uncurled from his hair and pushed the straps of his suspenders down. My hands ran down his chest trying to memorize every crease, blemish, and hair on his body, never pausing for long in one spot.

They grasped at his belt and tugged harshly, wanting him out of them as quickly as possible.

His hand covered mine, halting my frantic movements, and I looked up at him, surprised. He smiled lazily down at me. "Slow, remember?" he reminded me, and I blushed at my impatience. "Sorry," I mumbled. He shook his head and kissed my lips chastely.

"Never apologize for being you," he murmured before tilting his head to the side and attacking my neck. I arched my neck to the side, giving him more access, and wrapped my hands around his firm chest, and tracing patterns on his skin. He slowly pushed me backwards so that my back was resting on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace.

The fire crackled and sizzled as Edward trailed his lips down my collarbone and flicked his tongue out and lick a long swipe along the valley between my breasts. I groaned and let my inhibitions go. He traced his tongue along the underside of my left breast before moving upwards and flicking it over my hardened nipples.

He blew on my now wet flesh, and I whimpered and slammed my eyes shut as my toes curled. My body was experiencing a sensation overload.

I felt his lips wrap around the puckered skin of one of my nipples and suck softly. His tongue brushed against it, and his teeth nipped gently as I pushed his head closer and arched my back forwards asking for more. It was too much, yet not nearly enough at the same time.

I couldn't think straight, and my thoughts swam around in a jumbled mess of pleasure and lust with a small helping of insecurity.

His mouth alternated between each breast, and the room was filled with mewls and gasps of pleasure. Never had such noises left my lips, but I couldn't control the wanton sounds emanating from me.

"Edward..." I moaned as my hips bucked upwards, searching frantically for friction. My panties were drenched through, and I could feel my pulse throbbing in my ears as my stomach churned.

He grunted as my hips rubbed against his, and he pulled his head away from my breasts, panting. "I need you. Now." He demanded, and I nodded vigorously knowing that if something didn't relieve me of the infinite ache that seemed to be controlling my actions, I would combust.

He hovered above me, seeming to have some sort of battle with himself and I decided that it was time to move this forwards. I trailed my hands down his firm chest until they rested on his belt. I focused on my breathing as I concentrated on sliding the leather through the buckle without resorting to ripping the thing plain off.

It slid easily out of the buckle, and I focused my attention on the button holding his pants together. I was once again surprised when he covered my hands with his.

"Wait," he murmured, and I looked up at him in confusion. Was I taking this too fast again? Was there something we had forgotten to do before we took it to what I thought was the next step?

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I just...are you sure you want this?" he blurted out. I frowned as my confusion grew. I had already stated at the beginning of this that I wanted it. Suddenly a thought hit me.

He had realized just who was underneath him and had decided that he didn't want to waste his time with some inexperienced little girl. It was obvious from the start that someone like him would never look at a girl like me. I should have been used to this kind of thing, but I found that the level of rejection that I felt was crushing.

He didn't want me. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I tried to scoot out from under him with one arm across my chest.

"I understand," I mumbled, refusing to look at him. His hands clamped down on my arms, and he refused to let me move any further. Irrational anger flooded through me, and I struggled against his hold.

"I get it, Edward. You don't want me. Now just let me go." Frustrated and hurt, I kept on struggling against him.

"Will you stop for a second?" he asked in an annoyed tone. I stopped struggling with a sense of defeat. I knew now why my mother kept me so far apart from the world. If all men were like this, then I really didn't want to be in a world like this. He didn't even have the decency to let me leave with what little dignity I had left.

"I do want you," he insisted with conviction in his voice. I snorted disbelievingly. Sure he did. He sighed in frustration. "Does this make you think I don't want you, that I don't desire you?" He grabbed my wrist and placed my hand on the bulge in his pants.

My eyes widened slightly in shock because...well because I was touching_ it_. Maybe not skin on skin, but my hand was placed flat on his bulge. My eyes flickered up to his, and he looked straight back at me, confident, no shame or embarrassment clouding his eyes. It didn't bother him that this desire based reaction was being touched by me, in fact he looked- and felt- like he liked it.

I rubbed my hand over it slightly, taking in with awe-struck eyes the hardness of his erection. It seemed to move of its own volition, and I drew my hand back and glanced up at Edward, wondering if that was a normal reaction. His eyes were heavy lidded, and his eyelashes cast small shadows along his cheek.

"Then why?" I asked, my confusion coming back after having been distracted.

"Why what?" he asked huskily. I frowned.

"Why did you ask me if I was sure if you wanted me? I mean I already said that I was sure at the beginning, so why ask a question if you already know the answer?"

He looked slightly sheepish at that, and he dipped his head down slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just wanted to make sure. I told you that I didn't want to do something that you wouldn't want me to do, and I meant that. But sometimes when lust takes over, I'm inattentive to what you want. I wanted to be sure that I wasn't over stepping any boundaries."

I raised an eyebrow. That was it? We had just had a whole roller coaster of emotions over his sense of control. I pushed myself up slightly, brushing my breasts along his chest, and kissed him gently.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to. I'll tell you if I don't want or like something, okay?" Even in this predicament, I found it amusing that I was the one reassuring him and not the other way round. He nodded and responded to my kiss.

My hand moved over his chest, feeling the hairs tickle my fingers before dragging them down his stomach to his pants. I dipped my fingers under the waistband and ran them along the top of it. His fingers mirrored mine and dipped under the hem of my skirt, rubbing his fingers over my pubic bone.

Our eyes connected; both of us knew that this was it. The moment of no return. We would bare our bodies to each other for the first time and entrust ourselves to each other. Our eyes never strayed away from each other as we simultaneously unbuttoned our respective clothing.

The air sizzled with tension, and my breath hitched at the sound of a zipper being lowered.

I detached my eyes from his and peered down to where my shaking fingers were on his zipper. The cold steel of it felt oddly soothing against the heat that swirled around me. Whether from our predicament or the fire nearby, I wasn't sure.

I finished pushing down his zipper and glanced back into his eyes. He stared intently back into mine and gave my skirt a quick tug. I lifted my hips up off the floor, pushing my upper body further into his and let him slide it down my legs and throw it somewhere in the corner.

He stood swiftly and took his jeans off so that they pooled down around his ankles before stepping out of them and going back to his former position above me.

Only the thin cotton of our underwear separated us from ultimate completion. I had heard quite a few things about sex and read a bit about it, and I can say that the one thing I hoped would come of it would the feeling of intimacy that it brought to or new found relationship.

I mean, you were merging your body with someone; making what was once two separate beings into one whole being.

Now I didn't expect angels to pop out and congratulate us on our consummation or anything like but to know that there was someone who was your counterpart, that little piece of your soul that has been missing all your life, was consuming you body, soul and mind in such a biblical way made my heart burst.

He kissed me slowly as he stroked my hair with one hand and rubbed my stomach with the other, probably to help relax me. I knew the first entry of him inside my body would be painful.

I wasn't naïve enough to think that he would just slip in easily and we would move together as if we had done it a million times. No, from what I had heard, this could most likely end up a painful, awkward situation where neither one of us wanted to talk about it.

My heart hammered in my chest, and I could tell by the trepidation in his eyes that if I wanted this to move forward then I would have to act first. Mustering all the courage I had stored in my body, I gripped the edge of his boxers in my sweaty hands and pulled down in one swift movement before I could talk myself out of doing it.

His boxers hung low on his thick, muscled thighs, but my attention was grabbed by_ it_ bouncing against his stomach. I swallowed as I took him in, running my gaze over it with caution. The only word I could use to describe it was 'thick.'

My fingers twitched to touch this..._thing_. I frowned, knowing that it had a name- many names in fact- but I had never had a cause to use one, and I wondered what he called it. Penis sounded too clinical and made me wrinkle my nose so that one was out of the question.

"What do you call it?" I blurted out, not able to hold the bubbling question in any longer. He frowned and peered at me worriedly.

"How much do you know about sex?" he asked gently, and it dawned on me that he didn't get my question. Heat filled my cheeks as I hurried to explain.

"No, I know what it is, I was just wondering what _you_ call it. I mean, penis is like way too clinical for me, and I thought maybe that you had a better name for it or something..." I trailed off realizing that I was rambling on and probably making a fool out of myself.

He shook his head, and I saw one corner of his mouth stretch upwards in amusement. "If you must know, I call it my cock." I raised my eyebrows and thought about it for a second.

"Your cock?" I said, forcing my mouth to form the words.

It felt weird saying it.

"Cock," I mumbled trying to get comfortable with the word. I eyed it again warily, wondering how something that had so much girth was meant to fit inside me. I gripped it in my hand, wondering if I could wrap my hand all the way around it. He seemed startled and jerked forwards into my hand while suppressing a strangled moan.

I tensed and wondered if I had done something wrong, but one look at his face calmed me down. It was one of pure lust and bliss.

"Fuck, Bella," he groaned, and I blushed as my panties dampened at his cursing. My mother would probably disown me if she could see this. Me, Isabella Dwyer, getting turned on by swearing. I let it go easily, thinking that if I was going to hell I might as well do it thoroughly.

His hands gripped my hips tightly, and I could feel the heat of his hands radiating through the thin material of my panties. This made me realize that in one swift movement, I could be naked. My chest constricted with restrained panic, and I forced myself to relax.

I reminded myself that this was what I wanted. I had chosen this, and I couldn't back out now. Not after getting this far.

"I'm ready," I said firmly, squaring my shoulders. His eyes flickered over my face carefully looking, searching for something. After a minute, he seemed satisfied with what he saw and dragged my panties down my legs slowly. To make sure he knew I was serious about this, about us, I helped him finish removing all the remaining garments.

I lay there naked, completely bared to this man for the first time, with him hovering above me on his elbows, every inch of our bodies touching. I felt his...cock pressed against my stomach, and I widened my legs to give him more room to maneuver into.

He pushed himself up onto his hands and positioned himself between my legs. He reached in between us and slipped a finger between my folds. I stiffened at the unwelcome intrusion.

"Relax..." he murmured as he stroked my flesh gently before shifting his hand downwards and pushing it into me. Just the feel of one finger stretching me burned.

It was similar to the feel of breaking or spraining an arm and then moving it slowly, stretching the muscle. I writhed in discomfort as he added another finger. His brow was creased in a calculating way, and he must have noticed that I was staring at him because he raised his head to look at me.

The look on his face was sheepish as he withdrew his fingers. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck, chuckling in embarrassment. I frowned, wondering what, in a situation like this, could be in the least bit humorous.

He noticed my expression and let out a sigh.

"Something just occurred to me," he said slowly, seeming to analyse his words carefully. I gave him what I hoped was an encouraging look, and he bit his lip in contemplation. "You're a virgin," he stated, and I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. He already knew I was a virgin.

"I'm not sure if I can fit inside you." My eyebrows shot up, and I peered down between our bodies. I swallowed as I really took in his size. Did I want to try anyway, or did I think it was impossible? I let out a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes.

"Try," I murmured quietly, but with determination set in my eyes. I knew that this would be an uncomfortable experience, but somewhere deep down I knew that I wouldn't be lying here nude under a guy I had only known for a few days if this somehow wouldn't work.

He seemed hesitant, so I wrapped my legs around his buttocks and urged him forward. He let out a deep breath and reached down between us to guide himself into me. I felt him press at my entrance, and I slammed my eyes shut and concentrated on taking deep breaths.

I needed to relax, and the only way I could do that was to distract myself from the intrusion below my waist.

I found it nearly impossible to ignore it when he pushed forwards slightly. My breath stuttered, and I scrunched up my face in pain. I thought my lip would split by how hard I was biting down on it.

I forced myself to keep on breathing, and my legs shook from forcing myself not to slam them closed. He pushed forwards again, and I arched my back and let out a gasping breath. He stopped, and I felt him pepper kisses on my neck.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. I wanted to open my eyes and tell him that I was fine, but I knew if I did that then the tears that I was holding back would spill down my face. Instead, I nodded vigorously.

The further he went inside me, the more I felt like I was being ripped in half. He stopped at my barrier and pulled back slightly. My eyes flashed open, and we stared at each other for a long minute.

"Bella, I don't think..." I gripped his hair in my hands and forced his mouth down against mine. "Just do it," I growled passionately against his lips. He pulled back slightly and thrust forward in one long stroke, filling me completely.

My mouth opened in an 'o' of shock and my eyes were wide as my body registered the fact that he was inside me, filling me to the hilt. I had expected there to be more pain from the breaking of my hymen, but it seemed that it had been relatively painless.

We lay there, our bodies still, waiting. The burning, ripping feeling started to subside into a dull ache, and I let out a sigh of contentment. This was why I had forced myself to go through that pain.

Edward had his head bent, and his breathing was heavy as his fists clenched into the rug beneath us. His whole body was tensed, and I stroked the firm muscles of his back gently. "You can move," I whispered.

He looked up at me with surprise, and I could tell that he was having trouble keeping still.

"You sure?" he panted, a pained edge in his voice like he was silently begging me to be truthful with him. I nodded. Our eyes stayed connected as he drew his body back before thrusting gently back into me. It still hurt, but there was something else buried underneath that pain.

A spark or some kind of kindling fire.

I focused my attention on that and moved my hips slowly with his.

Every push and pull of our bodies brought us closer to a feeling of euphoria. It was like we were a stick of dynamite. Once you lit it up, there was only a certain amount of time before the fuse ended and it would explode.

"Edward..." I murmured, my swollen lips forming his name. Our mouths connected, and our tongues wrapped around each other and swirled slowly, matching the pace and form of our bodies. I could feel a light sheen of sweat on our chests as we brushed them against each other.

I had thought that engaging in such an act for the first time would be awkward , but it seemed that our bodies knew exactly what they were doing even if I didn't. Our hands moved slowly, sensually, over each other, memorizing every indent and dip, trying to commit everything to memory. Who knew if we would ever do this again?

Our time together was like sand slipping through the hourglass. Each grain landing on the pile of dwindled time, moments we could never capture again. I would be leaving soon, and then I would just become a forgotten memory to him, but I would never forget this night.

Ever.

My hands dug into the skin of his back and dragged downwards, wanting to mark him. He hissed and arched his back, causing his chest to convex and press into mine. We were flush up against each other, and I opened my eyes to see the recesses of his own eyes staring back at me.

They hypnotized me and dragged me in deeper. The emotion and feeling swimming, swirling, dancing, in his eyes could not be described unless you have been with a man you shared a carnal and consuming connection with.

It was awe-inspiring. Books, paintings, songs were based around this kind of passion. It was the one thing people wished and hoped for every day of their lives. It wasn't something that you wanted to let go of once you found it. In fact, I'm not sure if it was possible to let it go. That would be like physically ripping yourself apart, and I, for one, knew that I did not have that kind of strength.

The way he was thrusting into me, each thrust measured and slow and so intense, was enough to make me lose every inhibition I had ever harboured.

My lips attacked the pale skin of his neck, sucking and nibbling on it vigorously as my legs wrapped themselves tighter around him, causing his thrusts to deepen. "Fuck, Bella!" He groaned into my hair, fanning his hot, panting breath over my skin.

His hips thrust forwards harder than before as our chests rubbed against each other, both slick with sweat and sex. I gasped against his neck as the feelings started to manifest inside me.

I squirmed under him, feeling like I was at the edge of something. "Edward..." I gasped suddenly unsure about what was happening to my body. The tightening that had been in my stomach seemed to spread down between my legs, and I felt my muscles start to clench. I felt like an firework about to explode, and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Edward..." I was slightly self-conscious about what was happening, and I looked up at him with slightly scared eyes to see if he knew what was happening. His eyes bore back into mine, no trepidation or worry in them, before he bent down and captured my lips in a hard kiss.

"Come with me," he murmured, and it was like he had flipped a switch on in my body. My fingers dug into his back as my back arched and I let out a breathless scream of pleasure. Before, I had felt like I was swimming in pleasure, but now it was like I was drowning in it.

It was like the waves had pushed me downwards, and I was being yanked down by the currents as they bashed against my chest.

My mind was in a fog as my mouth moved whimpering out his name and quiet choruses of 'oh God.' I shuddered and convulsed as all my muscles tightened and locked down around him. Somehow through all of it he managed to keep up the pace of his thrusting. Static energy pierced through my skin, and I buried my head in Edward's shoulder and bit down to try and anchor myself to his body. His once erratic thrusting stopped, and I felt heat spread through me as he emptied himself inside me.

We clung to each other as we came down from our high. Our bodies meshed together in weakness as it was in strength. Our breaths were coming in heavy pants, and the whole world could have crumbled and I wouldn't have moved an inch. I pulled my head out from where it had taken purchase, feeling slightly guilty about biting him so hard, and slumped back against the rug.

My back was slightly sore from where I had been moving and been pushed with each thrust along the rug. I stared up at Edward and, just for a second, it was like we were in our own little bubble. We were in a place outside of time, a place where lovers met. It felt like nothing and no one could touch or disturb us.

My hair was splayed all around my head, and my breathing had finally started to even out. Edward shifted his weight off me, but I tightened my legs around him and looped my arms around his neck, refusing to let him move. He was my anchor, my safe haven, and I wouldn't let this escape like the dust falling through the cracks of splayed fingers.

"Stay. Please," I pleaded weakly. Even after all we had just shared and seen, a blush started to cover my cheeks at our connected nakedness and my need to stay together. He paused and pressed his hands to my buttocks as he pulled me up with him so that I sat straddling him, still connected.

I gripped him and held on tightly while raising my eyebrows, silently asking what he was doing. He leaned back, and I squeaked as I fell down on his chest, switching our positions to the opposite of what they had been at the beginning. He chuckled and reached up behind him to pull a blanket down from the chair behind us. He draped it over us, and I lay my head on his chest.

He whirled a lock of my hair around his finger, and I traced patterns along his chest, watching with rapt attention as the muscles clenched and moved. The hairs tickled my fingers as I brushed against them, and I felt content.

"Bella," he murmured quietly.

I hummed in response, too tired to speak. Actually, I don't think that 'tired' was the right word to describe how I was feeling. It was more like I was completely relaxed, languid, sated in his arms.

"Unless you want to go again, I'm going to have to pull out."

I blushed red and started to shift off him, but he held me in place before he carefully grabbed my hips and pulled me off him.

"Bella," he murmured again, and my eyes flickered up to his face.

"Marry me?" he asked confidently.

My breath left with a whoosh, and I stared at him, wondering if I was dreaming.

"W-what?" I stuttered.

He looked at me evenly, "Marry me," he repeated, and I swallowed. I wasn't sure if I should be overjoyed or horrified.

"Why?" His eyes intensified, and he paused slightly before answering.

"Because I can't let you walk out of here without knowing that you are coming back to me." My heart inflated at his words, but I hesitated. This whole situation was completely backwards.

"We've only known each for three days. How do I know that you are it?" His lips turned up in a lazy, slanted grin like he had anticipated this question. "Because you are my One, and if you're my One, then I'm your One. We are each given two arms, two legs and one heart. It's our job to find that other heart, and I've finally found it."

He cupped my face in his hands and smiled up at me before pressing his lips to mine gently. I closed my eyes briefly before pulling back hesitantly.

I didn't know what to do.

While I really wanted to say yes, I hardly knew this man, and I couldn't just give myself away to the first man that showed interest. Then again, I think it was a little late to be thinking like that when I lay naked, my virginity gone, leaning on his chest.

"I don't know what to say," I murmured, biting my lip.

"Say yes," he murmured back, running the pad of his finger along my cheek and over my bottom lip. We were quiet for a few minutes as I weighed the pros and cons.

"What happens if I say yes?" I asked finally, caution still weighing on me.

He raised his eyebrows amused. "We get married."

I blushed, "I know that. I mean, I'm only nineteen; what can you promise me?" He didn't seem bothered by my questioning, so he answered.

"I promise to love you unconditionally, irrevocably, and forever. I can promise you a house and kids and happiness and me." I gnawed on my lip furiously while my brain whirled around the thoughts in my head. They jumped left to right, never staying in one place for long.

I knew my mother wouldn't approve, but I guess it was time for me to branch out on my own now. I couldn't let my past hold me back and stop me from having a good future. "I don't believe in divorce," I stated plainly, knowing that as soon as I said 'I do' at the altar, he would be stuck with me for the rest of his life.

His expression didn't change. "Neither do I."

I nodded and glanced around for a second before taking in a deep breath. It was now or never. I could either take this chance at happiness or spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened if I had said yes. "Yes. I accept your proposal."

It was like every weight, problem, vanished as my chest expanded. It was like I was breathing for the very first time in my life. Everything looked bright, sounded better, felt electrifying.

A breathtaking smile stretched over his face, and he held me tightly to his chest. "You're mine now," he murmured. "Forever."

I nodded against his chest.

"Forever," I whispered back against the skin of his heart.

It is still strange to me that, by leaving behind every preconceived notion about propriety and what a woman should do, I had found everything I thought I would get from following them.

I did something stupid, I did something reckless, I did something backwards, and I found love.

**AN: That's what me getting in touch with my fluffy, soft side looks like. It was pretty long. MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS! Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Edward

**AN: A few of you said that the ending of my one-shot was unbelievable, which I can concede to, to a point. I once knew a woman who went out with a man for only a week before he proposed and they got married and are still married. Yes, divorce rates are high. Yes, the probability of my Edward and Bella succeeding in a long run is one in a million, but the point of the proposal and the story was faith and hope. Taking chances and doing something wild and stupid that hardly any of us will actually ever do. Maybe they would be that one in a million. Arranged marriages happen all the time and some work out. So just forget statistics, forget reality, and just enjoy this little slice of fiction. I have only been to like three weddings and one of them was French, so sorry if I got anything wrong. Alos thanks to all you gave money towards the Fandom of Domestic Violence.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own characters, but I do own the poem I used and the story, so suck on that SM. *cough* anyway.**_

_**WARNING: Alice fans be warned, she plays the bad guy in this story.**_

_How can you say there is no God_

_When he sits upon his throne_

_Looking down on us mere mortals,_

_Seeing the good and the bad,_

_The ugly and the beautiful._

_When, as we reach our lowest point in anger and despair and cry out,_

_He sends us an angel._

_One to pick us up and guide us back upon the road we must travel._

_One so beautiful and kind that our souls, our hearts, will be melted and turned into glass,_

_Only to be held gently and lovingly, in her arms._

In Fear, And In War by Edward A. Masen

I balanced my laptop on my legs as I read through what I had written. My brow furrowed in contemplation and I wondered if I had adequately shared my feelings in a way that could be understood, not just by me but by all who would hopefully read it.

The sheets rustled beside me and a small, humming moan escaped my angels' lips. "What are you doing up so early?" she murmured, her voice still heavy with sleep. I let out a sigh and closed my laptop, putting it on the floor, so that I could give her my undivided attention.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get a head start on my writing." I leaned towards her and tucked a few fallen strands of her soft, silken mahogany hair behind her ear. Her eyes lowered and the pink blush spread across her cheeks as her teeth dug into the skin of her bottom lip.

I let my hand drift from her ear, across her cheek, to her chin and lifted her face so that I could see the pools of toffee chocolate that, even after so much time, held more innocence that some people ever achieved.

My lips met hers softly and she gave a small gasp before running a hand up my right shoulder and into my hair. The passion that was ever present between us flared up, sparking the fire, and I dragged the sheets, that were tangled between us, down to reveal the soft, feminine curves of her body.

Her small, shapely breasts with tear drop, coral, nipples. Her round hips that felt like silk under my fingertips. There was not an inch of flesh on her body that I wouldn't and hadn't worshipped.

I rolled until I hovered over her, my legs between hers as she whimpered against me. The fingers of our free hand threaded together, the metal of our rings clinking quietly as they brushed against each other. I drew my mouth away from hers, reluctant to leave the soft pillows of her lips, but needing air to fill my lungs with. My eyes shifted to our joined hands as the diamond glimmered in the early morning light and shot little sparkles of light around the room.

"I love you," I whispered, bringing her hand to my mouth and kissing it. A brilliant smile spread across her lips, making the glimmer of her ring look dull in comparison, as she leaned up and kissed me chastely.

"As I love you," she murmured back. I felt my heart ache, as I wondered for what must have been the millionth time, how this angel could ever love me.

Somehow God had looked down kindly upon me and graced with a woman so perfect and special that she could over look every flaw I held and see the true man that lay beneath. To see on her hand a token of our unity as man and wife held so much more significance than just the binding of lawful marriage. It told me that not only was she mine; but that she was mine forever.

o00o0o0o00o00o

November 3rd, 2010

The Wedding

I tugged on cuffs of my shirt, smoothing out any and all creases as I tried to steady myself. I wasn't nervous per se. I was sure about Bella and I knew she was sure about me. It was the woman sitting stiffly, staring daggers in my direction, in the front pew of the church that had me on edge.

The things Bella had done just to get her mother to come were more than any daughter should ever have to do. Just watching Renee use Bella as her little puppet, demeaning and demanding her to do anything and everything she wanted made me nauseous.

When I had tried to talk to Bella about it, she had dismissed it casually stating that Renee was and had always been like that, and it was simply easier for everyone if you just did as she said.

It was safe to say that Renee and I did not get along. She hated me purely based on the fact that I was taking Bella away from her and turning her into-and I'm quoting this-a floozy. According to her, I had manipulated her sweet, trusting, naive daughter into marrying me and was planning on using her before tossing her aside for something younger and more impressionable.

But alas, letting Bella live in sin with the likes of me was worse than the emotional breakdown she would eventually have when I brought home some young, Swedish masseuse called Heidi. Please note the heavy sarcasm that was laced into that sentence.

I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly in an effort to keep them busy enough that they wouldn't go to my hair and ruin it. My eyes darted to my parents who were arguing quietly about the fact that Alice hadn't come.

My relationship with Alice had always been a bit strained, but with me 'stealing' her best friend from her, it had grown into a more intense hate on her side.

My mother had died when I was five and my dad, Carlisle, had remarried a couple years later to my therapist, Esme. Incidentally Esme was Alice's mother who had been stuck in an abusive marriage.

Meeting Carlisle had given her the strength to leave him and file for divorce. Alice had been seven at the time and blamed me and my dad for the fact that she wasn't with her 'real' dad anymore.

To me, Alice was-and still is-a spoilt brat that doesn't know when to shut her mouth. Harsh, but true. She was forever throwing tantrums just to get her way and acting out just to see if she could get a reaction.

Drugs, alcohol, you name it, she did it. She was a fucking thorn in my side. She never got tired of using the 'you're not my dad, you can't tell me what to do' card. I think she was just bitter that her 'real' dad didn't want her and had moved on.

Our personalities clashed too much for us to really even bother trying to have any sort of relationship. She was full of life always on the move, running her mouth off and going out with her friends, while I was soft spoken and just liked staying at home with a good book and some soothing music. Alice had already given our parents enough grey hairs without me adding anything in the mix. Plus with the whole 'why can't you be more like Edward' being thrown at her at every given opportunity, I honestly didn't blame her for resenting me.

I graduated at the top of my class with offers to go to the most prestigious universities in the country. My father wanted me to do something big with my smarts, like become a politician or a scientist, while Esme told me to what my heart called me to do. Little did they know that I had enlisted into the Army.

All hell broke loose when they found out; pushing Alice out of the spotlight she so loved, thus fueling her hate towards me. My parents begged and pleaded with me to reconsider, but I was stubborn and refused to listen.

After spending four years in active duty I left hoping that I would never be called back. I was hardened from the horrors I had seen and couldn't function properly in everyday society, so I used my trust fund to buy the old cabin that we used to go to when I was a kid and moved up there to live at the edge of a small logging town.

The closeness I once had with my parents waned as I started writing instead of getting a proper degree and it didn't bother me as much as it should have.

My life became a simple circle. I would write, pouring my soul into the words that flowed naturally to me like water. It didn't matter the time, it could be 11pm or 3am. If sleep didn't come, the words would. Some nights I would go into town and have a drink with a few of the loggers and get groceries, maybe call my therapist and get a haircut if needed, but all in all my life was just simple and that was how I liked it.

That is, until I found Bella standing on my front porch, her wide, expressive, Disney eyes staring at me. Her pale, porcelain skin slightly pink from the cold and her teeth firmly embedded into her bottom lip. Perfection had nothing on this girl, she was otherworldly, an angel sent to save me from something I never knew I needed saving from.

I couldn't help but take every opportunity to look at her, causing her to blush when she caught me. She was shy, intelligent, and innocent and I knew I should stay away, but even the long days outside, driving away my frustrations by splitting wood and working in my workshop, could not stop the pull I had for her.

My laptop remained shut; no words came because all I could think about was the beautiful girl down the hall from me.

Three days I suffered, forced myself not to give into the temptation of her body. The body that was hidden under the almost indecent clothing my sister had dressed her in. Thus giving me another reason why I shouldn't take her as my own. My sister, who hated me enough already, would castrate me and never speak to me again, and while I didn't mind the last part, the first wasn't welcoming in the least.

But in the end it was her that the made the first move. I can still remember it like it just happened yesterday. I have it like a DVD rolling my head. I don't even think she realized how sensual she looked when she crawled towards me, her top low enough to reveal the plump swells of her breasts.

The feel of her breath ghosting along my hand as she opened her pouty lips and wrapped them around the slice of apple, her pearly white teeth sinking through its flesh will forever be imprinted in my mind.

It was like God was giving me the okay and I took her selfishly, not waiting a moment more than necessary to claim what I now called mine.

She had felt like silk between my fingers, her skin so smooth and lush. No woman before her could even dream of amounting to the same level of response that she did.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and sent a quick prayer to God to forgive me for letting my thoughts wander in that direction while I was in a church.

"You need to calm down. You're too would up." I turned to glare at my best man and best friend, Emmett. He was young, living the bachelor lifestyle as much as one can while living in a logging town. He was fun to be around and was almost always in a good mood, two things which I generally was not, but unlike my relationship with Alice, he knew when to stop and when to push me.

"When you are standing in my place with a crazy mother-in-law present, who for all I know is going to ruin the whole wedding, then you can comment." He raised his hands up defensively. "Dude..." He said pointedly. I sighed and rolled my shoulders, "Maybe I am a little tense," I admitted.

He grinned, showing his dimples, which was his main arsenal when getting women, and nodded.

"Normally I would offer my awesome massaging capabilities, but I don't think it's appropriate right now." I rolled my eyes, but let the right corner of my mouth twitch up. Before I could comment, music started to play and I think just about everyone in the church sat up straighter and turned their heads towards the doors at the back.

A small girl, some sort of second cousin of mine, skipped down the aisle throwing flowers everywhere. You could hear the coos and awe's coming from the women in the pews.

The music morphed into the wedding march and my breath hitched as my palms started sweating. Not from the nerves though, from anticipation.

I had yet to see her dress and I swear I stopped breathing when she walked around the corner, her hands holding a bouquet of flowers. I took quick breaths as she started towards me slowly. Her dress was white with a slight tinge of gold in it with off the shoulder sleeves. The waist was tiny like it was corseted and she had elbow length gloves on.

She practically glowed as she walked slowly down the aisle. Her hair was in some sort of elaborate twist and her eyes sparkled as she bit her lip in concentration. I had offered to let Carlisle walk her down the aisle since her father had died when she was a baby, but she had insisted on walking it alone, stating that she could feel her father's spirit with her.

I stretched out my hand to her as she slipped a silk covered hand into mine. We walked the last few feet up the stairs together until we reached the minister and then turned to face each other, holding both hands.

"Are we ready?" He asked and I nodded. He cleared his throat and began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here this evening in the sight of God, and in the face of all gathered, to celebrate the wedding of Edward and Isabella. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Edward and Isabella to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.

So welcome to one and all, who have traveled from near and far. Edward and Isabella thank you for your presence here today, and now ask for your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support, for their decision to be married, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore, is not by any, to be entered into inadvisably or lightly — but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly..."

I ran small circles on the side of her hand to relax her, but didn't dare take my eyes away from the priest.

"Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventure of human relationships. No ceremony can create your marriage; only you can do that – through love and patience; through dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as lifemates and partners."

"Do you, Edward, take Isabella to be your wife — to live together after God's ordinance — in the state of holy matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keeping yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

I squeezed her hand tightly in mine to solidify my point.

"Do you, Isabella, take Edward as your husband — to live together after God's ordinance, in the state of holy matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him ...forsaking all others, keeping yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." She glanced at me, a blush glowing on her cheeks as she squeezed my hand back. I grinned down at her and she ducked her head before looking back towards the minister.

Two people in love do not live in isolation. Their love is a source of strength with which they may nourish not only each other but also the world around them. And in turn, we, their community of friends and family, have a responsibility to this couple. By our steadfast care, respect, and love, we can support their marriage and the new family they are creating today... so if any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together — let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Silence permitted the room and I glanced over at Bella's mom who just sat thin lipped with her hand folded in her lap.

_Thank God._

"We've come to the point of your ceremony where you're going to say your vows to one another. But before you do that, I ask you to remember that love – which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance - will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you now assume. If you are able to keep the vows you take here today, not because of any religious or civic law, but out of a desire to love and be loved by another person fully, without limitation, then your life will have joy and the home you establish will be a place in which you both will find the direction of your growth, your freedom, and your responsibility.

Please now read the vows you have written for each other."

I looked deep into Bella's eyes, trying to communicate the sincerity of my words as I spoke them.

"I, Edward, take you, Isabella to be my wife, my constant friend and partner, and my love.

I will work to create a bond of honesty, respect, and trust; one that withstands the tides of time and change, and grows along with us.

I vow to honor and respect you for all that you are and will become, taking pride in who we are, both separately and together.

I promise to challenge you, and to accept challenges from you.

I will join with you and our community in an ongoing struggle to create a world we all want to live in, where love and friendship will be recognized and celebrated in all their many forms.

Our home will be a sanctuary and a respite for us and for those whom we cherish.

Above all, I will give you my love freely and unconditionally.

I pledge this to you from the bottom of my heart, for all the days of our lives.

Without you my life is an empty hole, unable to filled and I vow to you today to never take what we have for granted.

You are the angel that picked up and fixed me when I was broken and I shall never let you go."

I could see tears forming in her eyes and she gave me a watery smile before taking a deep breath and started her own.

I, Isabella, take you, Edward to be my husband, my constant friend and partner, and my love.

I vow to give you the best of myself and ask of you no more than I can give.

To respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own.

I promise to share with you my time and attention and to bring you joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.

To keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.

I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.

I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside the only way I know how.  
Completely and forever.

As William Shakespeare once wrote:

So long as men can breathe and eyes can see,  
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

I smiled at her gently loving how she had managed to put her favorite poet into her vows. Just hearing her promise me all those things made a spark ignite in my chest. The warmth kidding a fire inside of me, the flame flickering and burning for what I hoped was for eternity.

"What tokens of love do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?"

I looked over at Emmett who was busy making eyes at one of the guests. I nudged him and he hurriedly reached into his pocket and handed me the two white gold bands, which I placed in the minister's hand.

"Edward, by placing this ring on Isabella's finger, repeats after me: Isabella, you are now consecrated to me from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."

I repeated the words phrase by phrase, and placed the band on Bella's ring finger. Just seeing the gold band on her slim finger filled me with so much emotion. She was mine now, in every sense of the word.

The paragraph was repeated by Bella, and she placed the white gold band on my left ring finger.

Father Peter concluded:

"May you always share with each other the gifts of love — be in one heart and in one mind. May you always create a home together that puts in your hearts — love, generosity and kindness. In as much as Edward and Isabella have consented together in marriage before this company of friends, and have pledged their faith — and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring — they are now joined. You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend. What therefore, God has joined together — let no man put asunder. And so, by the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife — and may your days be good and long upon the earth."

He paused and I held my breath waiting for the words that would make this ceremony complete.

"Edward, you may kiss your bride."

I placed a hand on her hip and the other in the small of her back, drawing her closer to me before leaning down and pressing my lips to hers. The electricity that was buzzing fizzled to the surface as our mouths moved slowly, gently, against each other. She slipped one of her hands up my arm and rested it on my shoulder, her fingers gripping it tightly.

I'm not sure for how long we stood there kissing for before we pulled away and to be honest I really didn't care either. Just hearing the cheers and clapping coming from friends and family was enough to make me grin.

Our marriage sealed with a kiss.

"We did it," I whispered. She grinned at me, her dimpled cheeks blooming with a blush. She nodded and we turned to our families, our hands still joined, and started making our way back down the aisle. She was mine! The grin on my face was so wide that I was afraid that my face would split.

Nothing and no one could break us apart and as we burst through the church doors and out into the windy autumn morning, the sun shining stilted light down on us, I felt like I was truly free. I glanced over at her and her eyes sparkled as she looked back into mine. She giggled and we raced down the steps and into the waiting stretched, white Rolls Royce, which was covered in flowers.

I could still hear the cheers and hollers from behind us as we ducked into it and got comfortable.

My eyes darted back to the church, through the tinted window, as people spilled out waving and hurrying to get into their cars. A speck of black caught my eye as the car started moving and I stared into a pair of hazel eyes. Alice.

Her dark hair was spiked and a sneer covered her face as she took a drag from her cigarette. Her Doc Martins were paired with some sort of gothic dress and was covered by a leather jacket.

She tossed her cigarette onto the ground and stomped it before casting one last hateful glare in my direction and walking off.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned to Bella. She leaned up and pressed her lips to the edge of my mouth. I could feel her breath on my skin, prickling and soothing it. I let my eyes flicker closed as I cupped her face in my hands and covered her mouth properly with mine. Her breath hitched, but she pressed herself into me and responded with equal fervor as to what I was giving.

Just knowing what tonight would hold had me aching. Ever since our first time, Bella had refused to even contemplate having sex again until we were married, citing that we should wait until it was official before we consummated our relationship physically again.

"Edward..." she whimpered against my mouth and I drove my tongue between her parted lips, effectively deepening the kiss. The sexual tension and frustration was rolling off us in waves and I prayed to God that she wouldn't remember that there was a third party in the car with us.

Her hands roamed under my suit jacket and I hissed at the feel of her hot hands touching me, even if it was through my shirt.

It was like, with her hands on my chest and our mouths fused together as we barely restrained ourselves from outright attacking each other, nothing else mattered. Not the fact that Alice hated me. Not the fact that my mother-in-law also hated my guts- it seemed like quite a few people weren't particularly fond of me lately. Not the fact that this was new and scary and that my life had completely changed.

None of that mattered, because, as long as I had my angel to love and to hold, I felt I could get through anything.

o00o0o0o00o00o

December 22nd 2009

Meeting the Mother-In-Law.

Bella tugged at the scarf around my neck and tried to straighten my jacket as we waited for some kind of response from the other side.

"Don't worry; everything's going to be fine. She'll love you." It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than me and I wondered just what I was getting into agreeing to come here. We saw a shadow behind the door and Bella grasped tightly onto my hands as she quickly hissed, "Be cool. Don't let anything she says get to you, she's just testing you."

I opened my mouth ask what the hell she was talking about and why did she choose the last second to tell me that, but the door had opened and Bella's attention was on the woman standing before us.

"Mum!" Bella said brightly, laying it on a little thick with the extra wide smile and the gift she was shoving in her face. "Merry Christmas!" Her mother, otherwise known as Renee Dwyer, stood tightlipped staring at me with narrowed eyes. Everything about her held a sharp undertone. From the short bob of her hair to the way her nails seemed to be perfectly manicured to claw men's eyeballs out.

I swallowed and stood straighter as I put my hand forward. "Hello Mrs. Dwyer, my name is Edward," I said, speaking in a clear voice. She looked down at my hand with disdain written all over her face like she would rather stick her hand in an ape's armpit than put it anywhere near mine. Well, there went the good impression I was trying to give.

I put my hand back down as she gave us a long look before turning around and walking into the house, "I guess you'd better come in," she murmured, looking like her suggestion was the last thing she wanted to do. Wow, Bella hadn't mentioned to me that her mum was a bitch.

We followed her into the house and she led us into a spacious living room, where a huge wood carving of Jesus being crucified took up half of one wall.

"I would offer you drinks, but I doubt you will be staying that long." She said it in a sweet voice-something I didn't know she had-belaying her words. Bella sighed and pulled me down to sit next to her on the couch while her mother sat daintily on the arm of the armchair opposite. "Mother," Bella started, holding my hand in her lap as she fiddled nervously with it, "I'm sure you're wondering why we're here. You see me and Edward, well there's no easy way to say this, but we're getting married."

There are a lot of reactions you would expect when someone tells you news like that. Some would be happy, some would be horrified or maybe even angry, but generally you don't get the reaction we got. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, "Was this before or after you slept with him? Please tell me you used protection."

Bella turned bright red and her mouth fell open while I found that looking at Jesus being crucified was actually very interesting. How she knew was beyond me, but I wouldn't have put it past to have called her minions from hell to keep an eye on Bella.

"Mother! We...I...how did...I'm on the pill!" I felt like giving myself a face palm. That was the best she could come up with? This was getting more awkward and uncomfortable by the second.

Her mother gave her a half condescending half disgusted look, "Isabella really? I thought I brought you up better. I told you college was a mistake. You find one boy who gives you just an inkling of attention and you decide to throw all your vows away on him. And you," She pointed her sharp nails in my direction, "who do you think you are, taking advantage of my sweet, innocent daughter who both know you are only using until someone younger and more impressionable comes along."

I can honestly say that I was speechless. I did not take advantage of Bella...well maybe a little bit, but it's not like I forced her or anything, I merely gave her the choice and let her make her own decision. Her mother was treating her like she was a five year old who couldn't make her own decisions. What we did was not a mistake, not by far. Bella had made me believe in myself. I now knew that there was more to me than what I was giving.

She gave me the courage and strength to take a huge leap of faith. I mean, she was the first girl I ever proposed to and I had only known her for three days, but when you know, you know.

People are always obsessed with time lines. Don't have sex until the third date, you should wait at least three months before you get serious and say 'I love you' for the first time. A year minimum before you even think about moving in with someone and another year before you pop the question.

I know that it's like that for a reason. You get to know the person in that time, make sure your ready for that big step, but for me...it...it was like the moment I set my eyes on her the world shifted. I know, cliché right, but so many people wouldn't say the same thing unless that was the only way to really describe it.

It wasn't a big shift and no flowers popped out of the ground or something and I should probably clarify that it wasn't _the_ world that shifted, it was mine. It was like I had been asleep before I found her on my porch and I had just woken up well rested and ready to go.

I didn't know how to act around her so I tried to keep out of her way as much as possible. Doing that shouldn't have hurt, but it did, it physically hurt not to be around her, not to see her face and memorize every little habit of hers.

So every night, after I had made dinner, we would sit and talk. She was so smart and sweet, always challenging me, making me dig deeper inside myself to bring up the things I had thought had died when I was in the army. She made me the man I had always hoped I would become.

It made me angry that her mother was putting her down and making her feel stupid like no one could actually love her and want her just for being herself.

I leaned forwards and rested my elbows on my knees.

"Mrs. Dwyer, I can understand that you are upset by the circumstances that revolve around our engagement, but I can honestly say that I love your daughter with my whole heart. There is no other for me. She is my sun and my moon. I want to wake up every morning with her and hold her in my arms as I sleep every night. There is no me without her. We are two halves of a whole and we have come here today to seek your acceptance and to have your blessing."

I looked at her intently hoping the sincerity of my words would break through the stone of her heart.

Her lip twitched, whether in disapproval or acceptance I was wasn't sure, but I held my breath hoping that it was the latter.

Her hands folded in her lap and she leaned back still staring at me intently before sighing, "It seems there is no way I can dissuade you. I would rather you marry her than let the two of you live in sin. I don't know whether to think you a fool Edgar or to congratulate you." Damn, if she hadn't gotten my name wrong I might have taken that as a complement.

"His name is Edward, mother." Bella corrected, but her mother just waved her off like it didn't matter.

"What do you do for a living Edwin?" Getting closer, just need to change three letters.

"I write." She looked horrified by this. Her attention went back to Bella, "Please tell me he is joking. How do you expect to live and raise a family on the salary of a writer? And do not tell me that you are not planning on having a family unless you are planning on giving me a heart attack," she snapped. While the idea of giving her a heart attack was intriguing to say the least, I couldn't help but feel like she doubted my abilities to provide for my wife-to be-and future children.

"I assure you Mrs. Dwyer; I have enough money tucked away to easily provide for Bella and any children that may come in the future." She looked doubtful, like I was filling her full of shit to gain her approval. News flash, I really don't give a fuck about your approval!

"How much?" she pressed. Who does that? You don't ask people how much money they have tucked away in bank, its rude, not that she had been exactly loving and kind, but still.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair and frowned, "About fifty-thousand dollars." She seemed surprised by the amount and even Bella looked surprised because even though she knew about my trust fund I hadn't told her just how much was in there. "Really now? Rich family I presume." She was more talking to herself than to me so I kept quiet.

"He was also in the army for two years," Bella added. This seemed to please her immensely, something about good morals and whipping the youth of today into shape. She turned her attention towards Bella for a while and I kind of tuned it out until I heard Bella say something I hoped to never hear again. It was something I would not wish on anyone.

"We're planning on staying abstinent until the wedding."

I nearly choked at her words because _we_ hadn't made any plans of the sort. She elbowed me lightly and gave me a look that told me not to argue with her. "Aren't we, Edward?" I nodded slowly, trying to push the growing sadness away. "Yeah," I muttered hoping that the despondency wasn't apparent in my voice.

I swear that by the time we left I was completely exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically. There was no topic out of bounds for her. She even asked how many women I had previously been with...sexually. She also wanted me to read the Bible all the way through, but I told her that I had already been forced to do that as a kid. Not a complete lie really, but it got me out of doing it. Thank God for my parents forcing me and Alice to go to church as kids.

"You haven't changed your mind have you?" Bella asked worriedly as we rode the taxi back towards the airport. I raised my eyebrows at her, "Angel, it's going to take a lot more than your crazy mother to make me leave you. I'm in it for the long haul so you better get used to me being around." I told her. We sat silently for a while before I gathered up the courage to ask her the one question that was bugging me.

"Were you serious about the whole 'no sex till marriage' thing?" She gave me a firm look and nodded, "Of course."

November 3rd, 2010

The Wedding Night.

I sat at the edge of the bed, my bare feet flat against the wooden floor as my fingers worked nimbly on the buttons of my shirt. The silence in the room was deafening and I kept my eyes trained on the closed bathroom door, which my angel was behind. I shrugged out of the shirt and folded it in half before laying it on the chair beside the bed.

My hands, now free from any task, ran up and down my suit pant legs, my fingers tapping along the material.

I was nervous...I had no idea why, I mean this was not the first time we had been together sexually, but there was something in the air, some sort of electrical charge, that fizzled and prickled against my skin. My heart thumped loudly in my ears, keeping steady beat and I focused on that as I let my eyes flicker closed and leaned my head back slightly.

I'm not sure for how long I sat there, trying to find calm, when the sound of the lock made my head snap towards the bathroom door. My eyes were glued on the handle as I watched it slowly turn and the steady rate of my heart had tripled as it tripped over itself in eagerness and nerves to see her.

Light shone from the slowly widening gap in the door and I swear that I stopped breathing the minute I caught sight of her. She was wrapped in a flowing, royal blue, silk dressing gown that hugged her curves, her hair lay in silken waves down over her shoulders stopping just beneath her breasts. Her big, brown eyes shone and sparkled as she took me in and a glowing blush took over her exposed skin as she rolled her bottom lip into her mouth and sunk her teeth into it.

Without consent or permission from my brain, I found my feet moving towards her until they stood directly in front of her. The nerves and anticipation that had been swirling mercilessly in the air doubled as we stood, inches apart and staring deeply into one another's eyes.

I cupped her face in my hands, running the pads of my thumbs over her heated skin before slowly lowering my mouth to hers, touching them against the pillow softness gently, yet no less passionately than the kisses we had shared in the car.

I tried to convey through it how I felt, how I would always be there for her, to guide and protect her, to love and to cherish her.

I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers as I let one hand trail down until it was cupping her neck.

"We did it," I whispered, a grin forming on my lips. After all the months of fighting and pushing for this, we had finally done it. I still had trouble wrapping my mind around it. Through the whole reception it was the only words going through my head. When we had our first dance, when Bella shoved cake in my face, when Emmett gave his best man's toast-if you could even call it that, I was just thankful it wasn't inappropriate.

"We did it," I whispered again, awe laced into my voice as I brushed her hair out of her face. Bella nodded, a smile of her own spreading across her lips, highlighting her dimples. I covered her face in kisses, whispering the words in between, as I slowly backed up, taking her along with me. I spun her around as we reached the bed and pushed back to lie on it. She let out a small shriek and giggled as I fell on top of her, careful not to put any of my weight on her.

"You're all mine now," I murmured, my mouth by her ear. She shivered against me and wrapped her arms loosely around my neck. I dragged my lips down her cheek to her mouth, capturing her lips as she melted against me.

One of my knees pressed between her thighs, forcing her to spread them open wide enough that the now loosened dressing gown revealed her legs. My fingers danced over the newly exposed skin before I curled my hand around the warm, soft flesh of her thigh and hitched around my waist. She gasped softly and I pressed my tongue gently into her mouth, to which she responded easily, eagerly even, too.

While we had not re-consummated our relationship in the months leading to the wedding, it hadn't stopped us from learning and discovering things about each other's bodies.

Our tongues tangled, swirling and twisting around each other in what seemed like a carefully choreographed dance. Her hands roamed my chest freely, sweeping along every muscle and line as I used my free hand to part her dressing gown completely so that I could see what lay beneath.

I reluctantly tore my mouth away from hers, needing air, and let my gaze travel downwards to the almost white blue camisole with matching lace panties. If my cock had not been hard and aching before, it sure was now.

Our eyes met and I found myself sucked into the depths of them, drowning in the pools of caramel chocolate.

"You're so beautiful," I whispered and the light blush that had settled on her skin darkened. I peppered kisses along the curve of her jaw, watching her as her eyes closed and she embraced the pleasure I was giving her. My mouth hunted downwards, pausing briefly to suck on the skin of her neck before continuing on its quest.

My lips dragged over the skin of shoulder, pushing down the strap that hindered my actions and kissing the skin before going down to her collarbone and sucking it into my mouth. My nose traced the curve of her breast, nudging the lace cups lower and inhaled her sweet scent, feeling its usual calm exude into me. There was nothing that could compare to Bella's scent. It reminded me of spring when everything's new and growing, you can smell the freshly cut grass and the colors beginning to emerge from the trees and plants.

I let one hand snake under the bottom of the camisole, brushing it against the smooth skin of her stomach.

She let out a stuttering breath and I dragged my lips up to her ear, "Let me see you angel," I pleaded, wanting her to tell me it was okay for me to release the creamy flesh that had been taunting me since I had first touched it.

"Yes," she whispered barely audibly and I let out a sigh of relief. I pulled back and took in the barely concealed mounds of her breasts confined behind the material of her camisole. My fingers itched to rub her nipples through the material until they were hard and my mouth salivated thinking of wrapping itself around plump flesh. I quickly undid the tie at the front, opening it to reveal all that I had dreamed of for too many months.

Without hesitation my lips dove to one breast while my fingers rubbed and rolled her tear-drop shaped nipple between them.

She let out a groan and arched her chest into me, fisting one hand into my hair and clutching the sheets tightly with the other. Small pants and mewls left her slightly parted lips as my tongue flicked out; soothing the nipple in my mouth after my teeth had scraped against it. She uncurled her hand from the sheets and dragged it down my chest, letting her nails drag along my chest and catching one of my nipples in the process. I hissed against her skin and my hips buckled into her hot center, seeking friction.

Her hands scrambled at my belt, trying fruitlessly to rip it apart in an attempt to open it.

I placed a hand of my own of hers, stilling her movement as I whispered against her breast, "Shhh...Relax angel." I undid the belt easily, while still doting on her breast with due attention. She quickly took over where my hand was by undoing the button and pulling down the zipper before shoving my suit pants down my hips.

"Take them off," she panted out and I pulled away and discarded the unnecessary garment, leaving me just in my boxers. As soon as I was back hovering over her, she tugged on my hair, guiding it so that I lowered my mouth back on hers. My tongue explored her mouth, running over her teeth, brushing against the roof of her mouth, making sure that no place was untouched.

I laced one of my hands into her hair, using it to tilt her head in a better angle as my other hand rested on her hip, rubbing tight circles on her pubic bone.

She leaned up on her elbows, pushing away the dressing gown and camisole which were still partly on her and pulled her panties off before started to scoot backwards, away from me. I was having none of that so I followed her up the bed, my lips never leaving hers until she lay with her head on the pillows. Before I could even ask what she had just done was all about, she dragged me back down, thoroughly distracting me.

I was so caught up in the sensations of her skin under my mine and the feel of my tongue plunging into the depths of her mouth that I hadn't noticed the fiery trail that burned down my chest until I felt her hand lying flat against the bulge protruding from my boxers. I gasped and buckled my hips as her hand curled around it and tore my lips away from hers, surprise written across my face.

What exactly was she doing? I stared intently at her as she flushed and chewed on her lip nervously but didn't look away. I wasn't used to her being so...forward.

"Show me how to love you," she murmured, flexing her hand around my aching cock. Was she asking what I thought she was asking?

"Are you sure?" I asked apprehensively, unsure if she knew exactly what she saying. She nodded firmly and I sent a quick prayer of thanks to the Big Guy upstairs for giving me such a beautiful and amazing creature before shedding my boxers. She let out a whoosh of breath as she took all of me in, dragging her eyes over every single inch of me.

When she finally managed to tear her eyes away from me, she looked up expectantly. I let out a breath through my nose, bracing myself for what was about to happen and gave myself a mental pat on the back for thinking ahead and taking care of myself earlier so that I wouldn't blow my load too quickly.

I took her hand in mine and slowly wrapped it around my cock. I actually had to bite down on my lip to stop an embarrassingly loud moan from escaping as I tightened her grip. Eleven months of nothing but my own hand had made me a needy bastard and I swear if she asked for anything right then and there I would have given it to her. I was putty in her hands at that moment and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I tried to steady my breathing so that I didn't sound like a dog in heat, but it was pretty fruitless, especially after I started moving her hand over me. I buried my head in the hollow of her neck, trying to keep a grip on the fraying control that was slipping out of my fingers, but as soon as her thumb swept over the tip of my engorged cock I knew that it was a battle I wasn't going to win.

"Motherfucker!" I hissed, my hips buckling violently, completely unrepentant about swearing. I really didn't see how, in a situation like this, that it could be avoided. I let out a strangled groan as I pulled my head back with my eyes slammed shut and moved my hand away from hers, letting her do all the work as I thrust my hips into her hand.

Barely restrained grunts and moans left my lips as my nails dug into the mattress on either side of her. My arms shook from keeping my weight up and I couldn't have thought up a coherent thought if you had paid me, let alone said one.

Nothing registered to me apart from the all-consuming pleasure that crashed down on me like waves. Never, in my lifetime, had a hand job been so great, never had it felt so satisfying.

My eyes opened slowly and I looked down at Bella, whose attention was firmly on my cock. Just watching her hand, her small fingers not even able to wrap completely around me, move over me was more than I could take.

"Angel...oh shit! You have to...ung...I'm...stop... or...going to...oh God...cum..." I somehow managed to spit out as I tried to still my hips, which had started thrusting erratically. My hand enclosed around hers stopping any and all movements, making my cock weep in frustration. I was a bumbling panting mess of need and every cell inside me begged for me to let her continue, but I couldn't let it end like this.

My eyes shut on their own accord as I fought against every instinct inside me. I wanted so badly to just push aside her panties and slide into her heat, but I had to take this slowly. I felt her hand in my hair, her nails gently scratching at my scalp in a calming, soothing motion. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding and shivered.

I uncurled my hand from where it was still digging into the mattress and laced it through her free hand as I leaned down and kissed her gently, just reveling in the feel of her swollen lips against mine.

Her fingers dragged down from my hair and across my face before she placed it flat against my chest, just above my heart. She rubbed small circles into my chest as my own flittered around her hips and stomach feeling the pliant skin move under my fingertips.

There were no noises coming from either of us as we explored one another in silent contemplation. My lips detached themselves from hers and found the skin of her neck, where they peppered open-mouthed kisses, momentarily distracting her from the fact my fingers were slowly making their way down to the promise land. Her breath stuttered out and she stiffened as my hand met her curls and I used my free hand to run a hand through her hair, much like she had done to me.

"Shhh...Relax angel, I'll go slow." She nodded and slowly relaxed, wrapping her arms around my waist as she pressed more fully into me.

My mouth continued their assault on her neck as my fingers slipped easily through her slick, swollen lips, and ran circles around her clit. Small, uneven pants left her mouth and her nails dug into the skin of my back as her eyes fluttered closed and she arched up into me.

The heat of her pussy rivaled that of a volcano and I trailed my hand down to her entrance. I hoped she was wet enough to make the intrusion less painful and we both braced ourselves as I slowly slipped a finger into her extremely tight entrance. She let out a low whimper and bit down on my shoulder as she squirmed uncomfortably.

My tongue darted out and licked the skin just beneath her ear, loving the taste of her soft, pink skin and placed my palm flat on her clit, rubbing it so that the pleasure she was experiencing would outweigh the pain.

It seemed to work because she relaxed more; it was only by the slight pucker of a small frown that told me that she felt any sort of pain. I slowly eased another finger into, my own frown prominent on my face.

I had forgotten just how tight she was and I briefly wondered how I had fit in there the first time. I could still remember how her face had contorted her face in pain and if she hadn't been egging me on so much I would have pulled out and called it quits.

Nothing was worth putting her through any sort of pain.

The strength and determination she had displayed as she told me to 'try,' even going so far as to wrap her legs around my waist had given me the strength to push through the discomforting thought of hurting her and focus on the one's of bringing her pleasure at any cost.

"Edward," Bella's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked down at her concerned that I had hurt her. She looked up at me earnestly, "Please...I'm ready." The trust and faith she put in me was enough to bring any man to their knees. She made me a better man just by simply believing in me and pushing me to be my best. I'm not sure if I would have sent my book to be published if she hadn't read it and told how good she thought it was.

I pulled my fingers out of her and positioned myself between her legs, searching her to make absolutely certain that this was what she wanted. When I found no uncertainty I pushed forwards, guiding myself into her. My eyes never left hers as I eased into her. Pain flickered across her face and she bit down hard on her bottom lip.

Her hands pressed into my back urging me forwards and I felt conflicted. My chest felt tight as I controlled myself enough to go slow, but the pain on her face made the pleasure of her strangling, wet heat feel almost unpleasant. Why should I feel good when she didn't?

By the time I was fully in her, I had both arms wrapped around her body and my forehead pressed against hers as I stared into her eyes. Every inch of me was touching her in some way and as I slowly moved within her I swear I had never felt closer to her. Our lips sat centimeters apart, slightly parted as we exchanged breaths.

This was giving and it was taking, it was showing how a deeper connection could be formed by merging two separate bodies into one. I couldn't tell where I ended and she began, we were just a mass of moving limbs tangled in sheets. I could feel the heat and sweat mingling in the air and being exchanged as we slid against each other, the friction so pleasurable that it was indescribable.

I could feel every single piece of love I had for her pouring out of me and into her as I fused our lips together. Hands never stopped their wandering, legs wrapped and tangled around each other, slipping and sliding over skin in an attempt to get closer. The pleasure itself was a paradox; it pulled and ripped us apart while at the same time fusing us together in a way that could not be seen by the human eye. We moved like magnets, the push and pull so strong that it almost physically hurt to move.

I pulled my lips away from hers, my lungs protesting and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face.

"I love you," I whispered heatedly, "so much." Her eyes flittered open and she arched her chest further into me so that I could her hardened nipples press against me, fueling my own arousal. "Yes," She whispered back, "so much...I can't..."She groaned loudly, almost desperately, and buckled her hips upwards, "It consumes me. I can't control it," she whimpered out, her nails clawing into my back. I let out a strangled groan and grasped onto her hips tightly, tilting them up slightly as I moved quicker inside of her.

Her breath hitched and I felt every muscle in her body tighten slightly.

Have you ever had this all consuming feeling of love and completeness that just makes you want to cry? I raked my hands through her hair as I swallowed tightly and pressed my face against hers so that our faces were aligned. "You're everything to me," I whispered. She cupped my face, dragging her fingers over my jaw as her lips ghosted over mine.

"As you are to me," she whispered back. I throbbed and burned against her and I rubbed her clit in gentle circles, refusing to let go until she had. We had started together and we would finish together.

Watching her feel the pleasure that my body was giving hers was a humbling experience. There were no apt words to describe how she looked in that moment. Her swollen lips parted, silently begging for more as the edges of her eyes crinkled from her eyelids being closed so tightly together. She was so serene and the glow coming of her skin was almost blinding.

No matter how hard you try and how many different ways you find to try explain it, love is not a word that can be put in a dictionary because there is nothing we, as humans, have seen that could describe it sufficiently.

_"One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne'er saw her match since first the world begun."_

Even the words of Romeo were not quite enough. My conclusion was that love was not a word, but an idea that blossomed into the world that we now live in. Without love, everything would go to waste, we wouldn't stop to smell flowers or enjoy music even when we're walking in the pouring rain.

We wouldn't try to be better than we are without love, there would simply be no point. True love was full of some many different components. With it came respect and trust, the ability to put your life in someone else's hands with more faith than what we would think was humanly possible. Your heart and soul rests in their hands and theirs in yours.

It was not just some sort of fuzzy feeling in your chest, a flutter of your heart, or the fact that your life revolves around that person. It was-and still is-more than that, but as I said before I, myself, cannot describe it.

Our bodies braced themselves against each other before the world paused for a second in the way it does when lovers find completeness in each other at the same time. Colors and sparks danced and jumped behind my lids, entwining and embracing as they moved.

She was my only lifeline and I chanted her name in a mantra as I climaxed along with her. Cries and whimpers of euphoria left us as pleasure slammed into us at every angle like a man amongst the rocks in a storm.

I couldn't think my whole body hummed with electricity, verging on the edge of numbness as I held her to me, afraid that she would disappear if I let go.

I rolled onto my side, taking her with me as I calmed down. We were still completely wrapped up in each other, our sweaty limbs tangled together as she pressed her ear against my chest. Exhaustion started to take over me and I pulled the sheets that had been pushed to the bottom of the bed up and around us as we snuggled together, neither wanting an inch of space between us.

"Love you," I murmured before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Love you too," She murmured back sleepily and as the darkness enclosed around us and the day ended, I came upon the realization that as one chapter of my life ended, another-much better one-had begun.

**AN: I really don't know this became longer than the first chapter, but the words kept on coming. What did you think? There will be another chapter after this in B pov.**


	3. Bella

**AN: This is the B POV I promised. You get to see what happens the morning after the original one-shot.**

_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?_

_Thou art more lovely and more temperate:_

_Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,_

_And summer's lease hath all too short a date:_

_Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,_

_And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;_

_And every fair from fair sometime declines,_

_By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed;_

_But thy eternal summer shall not fade_

_Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;_

_Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,_

_When in eternal lines to time thou growest:_

_So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,_

_So long lives this and this gives life to thee._

_Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare_

There are many things you feel as your mind flitters back into consciousness. Confused, contentment, fear, pain.

There are all these different emotions and feelings that register in your mind and body, but as I slipped out of the dark shroud of sleep all I felt was warmth. I was surrounded by it, bathed in it, tangled in it and I shifted closer, reveling in its softness. My nose found itself inhaling its spicy, musky scent as I buried it further into the warmth.

It wasn't until the warmth sighed and moved that I realized that the warmth was not just simply warmth, it was a body. More specifically, it was a male's body.

My eyes snapped open and was met by the pale arch of Edward's neck. The events of last night bombarded my mind and I couldn't help but be shocked at my behavior the previous night. I had never been so forward or so uninhibited in my life.

My skin flushed a brilliant pink as I realized the position I had woken up in. Not only was I naked with a blanket only resting at my waist, but I was splayed out on top of Edward, our bodies completely pressed together as our legs lay tangled under the blanket.

He had one arm lying above his head and the other resting on my hip, holding me tightly to him. He looked so peaceful lying there, his face more relaxed and open than I had ever seen.

Everything seemed so surreal as I lay there, just taking him in. Had we really had sex? Had he really proposed to me after only knowing me for three days? All these thoughts ran around my head as I stared at him, wondering what would happen when he opened his eyes and saw me lying on top of him.

I brushed some stray hair out of his eyes and he shifted slightly as a sigh escaped his lips and his eyes flickered open slowly, a bewildered look of confusion in them as he tried to get his bearings straight. I held my breath, my heart hammering in my chest, as I waited for him to notice me. Would he be repulsed by my presence? Should have I untangled myself and left while I still had the chance? Did he regret last night?

I didn't have a long time to ponder because I felt the hand that was resting on my hip move slightly as he let his thumb draw soothing circles in my skin, while using his other hand to brush the hair out of my face so that he could see my face properly.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice still thick with sleep and his green eyes blinking slowly as he struggled to break through into complete consciousness. Nothing in his face gave me the impression that he was unhappy about our current predicament, infact a lazy smile rested on his lips and I couldn't help but return it with a small, timid smile of my own.

"Hey," I whispered back before digging my teeth into my lip self consciously-it was a bad habit I had never outgrown. He wrapped both of his arms fully around my waist and held me tightly to him as he sat up, causing a small gasp to leave my still swollen lips.

Our naked chests were crushed together as the blanket sat limply in our laps, covering only our lower halves. My legs lay on either side of his and our eyes stayed planted on each others as our foreheads touched and my lips parted slightly. I'm not sure for how long we sat there staring at one another, brown meeting green, the forest merging together, just basking in the afterglow, but I felt more free than I ever could have hoped.

It was like before him I had been suffocating and stifled in a cage, unknowing of what lay past the bars of it, unknowing that there was even a chance I could be on the other side of it. But Edward had come along and opened the door and let me out, promising me things I never knew I wanted until they left his mouth.

There was so much to be said, so much many questions that needed to be answered, but in that moment it didn't matter. We were in our own little bubble away from everyone else and what they expected from us. I had no idea what the time was and I couldn't for the life of me remember the date, but sitting here in his lap it didn't even matter.

Time was like the tide coming in from the sea. The salted water touching, caressing the shore before leaving, receding for a while, leaving us with quiet peace.

He was my sun and my warmth and I couldn't even bring myself to think of life without him. It was like as soon as he entered my life, there was no leaving it. We were bound together by invisible shackles and no matter how much you pulled and tugged at it, it refused to budge even an inch. Only the key could open it, but it was no where to be found and we didn't want to search for it.

We were startled out of our close embrace by a thumping sound coming from outside. We locked eyes, silently communicating our confusion as to what was on the front porch when the door flew open and there stood Alice.

It was then that we were surrounded by one of those moments when the world seems to slow down and pause for a second before it crashes down on you. Like the falling of a glass. The decent seems so slow as you watch in horror, unable to do anything but watch, but as soon as it touches the ground everything speeds up as the glass shatters into a million pieces.

Alice stood frozen in the doorway, her ice blue eyes widening as she took in the scene before her. Her shoulder length hair was pulled up in an elaborate twist and her cheeks and nose were a pink color from the cold. Behind her stood a guy with blonde hair who was equally frozen and looked like a dear caught in the headlights.

It was Edward who first snapped into action by-in a swift move I never knew was possible-moving me so that I was behind him, the blanket still covering both of us.

"Alice," he acknowledged calmly. How he could be calm in such a situation was beyond me, but his words seemed to snap Alice out of her shock. Her eyes narrowed and darkened as they stared at him, probing him for answers.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Edward?" She snarled and I noticed Edward stiffen slightly so I leaned my head on the back of his shoulder and rubbed his back softly with my hands as my heart beat wildly.

"Well, Alice," he said evenly, "if you had actually asked our parents permission to come up here then you would know that they sold the cabin to me. So to answer your question, I am here because this is my home."

She didn't look pleased at all by what he said and I could tell by the slight edge in his voice that he wasn't pleased either. It seemed that the reason that neither of them mentioned each other was because they simply did not get along. At all.

"I thought you were in the army," she said harshly and I could see that he tensed up even more at the mention of it. I would have to ask him about his time in the army because though he seemed reluctant to share it I was curious as to why he would just skip over two years of his life.

"I left four years ago Alice. Not that you really care," he replied dryly. She shrugged in a way that said she agreed with him and turned her gaze towards me, it neither brightening or lighting as she caught sight of me. I hadn't seen this side of Alice before. There was so much malice and hate exuding from her that I wished I could stay hidden behind Edward forever.

"Bella, would you care to explain to me why you are fucking my brother?" she asked, using a fake calm tone. I stared at her for a second, furiously trying to come up with an answer that didn't sound weak and pitiful, "I-I-I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to her," Edward said stiffly, his voice still hardened. "Number one Alice, don't speak to Bella like that. Number two, no one is fucking anyone here..." Alice scoffed at that disbelievingly, but Edward ignored her and carried on.

"...We are engaged to be married Alice, so you better get used to me being back in your life because I'm not going anywhere." He leveled a firm glare at her and she returned it, her jaw clenching tightly before darting her eyes towards me.

"Is this true Bella?" she asked quietly and I nodded slowly, "Yes," I whispered. She let out a bleak laugh and shook her head like she couldn't believe what we were saying.

"Wow Edward, this is really an all time low for you isn't it? Did you do it because she was my best friend or was it the fact that you just wanted some attention, you fucking cradle robber?" Each word she spoke was practically dripping with venom.

"Fuck. You." Edward spat back at her and I cringed at the equal amount of venom in his words. "I know you think the world revolves around you and whatever fucker you've dragged into your sick little life, but this is not about you. This is about me and Bella. This isn't high school anymore Alice, I'm not going to roll over and let you trample all over me like I used to. What Bella and I choose to do is our decision, not yours so you better get used to it."

I was under the impression that Edward had never spoken to her like that before because she looked kind of shocked before she collected herself.

"This is coming from the self centered prick. When was the last time you even talked to our parents, huh? You don't have to see how upset mum gets when you don't show up every holiday." Edward sighed and his shoulders sagged as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Alice, I can't go back there and they understand that. I phone and email regularly and I know that isn't the same as actually being there, but it's the best I can do right now." They stared at each other silently for a minute before Alice whispered, "I still hate you."

Edward nodded and replied in a voice as quiet as hers, "I know."

She cast one last look in my direction before turning and taking the blonde guy by the hand. She disappeared back out of the door, closing the door behind her and leaving us silence. The weight of it rested heavily on us and the tension from their confrontation still lingered in the air.

"Will she be back?" I asked Edward. He shook his head slowly, "No, not for a long time." I felt my heart sink and tears spring to my eyes as my heart ached for the loss of my best friend. I knew, even then, that there was no way I could maintain my friendship with Alice, while I was with her brother. It hurt to know that I had to make a choice between them, the man who I had given my whole life to and the girl who had helped me-indirectly-to find him.

I had even noticed the tears streaming down my face until I found Edward's arms wrapped tightly around me as he pulled me into his chest and murmured comforting words in my ears.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay, angel..."

I managed to told back the tears for a second while I thought over what he had said. He had called me 'angel.'

"You called me angel," I whispered, my tone laced with surprise. No one had ever given me a term of endearment before, not even my mother, it was either Bella or Isabella depending on how much trouble I was in.

It was such a sweet gesture that I could actually feel my heart expand in gratitude and happiness.

He hummed in acknowledgement of the fact that I had pointed out the obvious and placed a kiss on my hair.

"Why," I pressed, curious as to why he had chosen 'angel' out of all the different terms of endearment.

"Because," he said, "before you my life was a monotonous cycle of simplicity. I was not living, I was existing. But then you appeared out of no where and gave me a reason to live again, to wake up from the sleep I had shrouded myself in. Your very presence glows, shooting light into me. You saved me when I didn't know I needed saving. You're my saving grace, my Aphrodite, my angel."

I could feel myself melting at his words and I ducked my head slightly and looked up at him from under my eyelashes. It was no wonder he was a writer, he really had a way with words.

"Thank you," I murmured, "no one has ever...you know...given me a name like that." I tripped over my words as I tried to speak. It seemed funny to me that he said that I was the otherworldly being when he sat there with his firm muscles and sharp features, looking like he was in the direct linage to Zeus himself.

"A term of endearment? You have never received one? How is that possible?" he questioned incredulously, like he could not simply begin to even imagine anyone_ not_ giving me one. He shook his head and shifted me gently in his lap, placing one arm underneath my knees and the other around my back, he stood up. I clung to his neck tightly as he walked towards the back of the cabin where the bathroom was and incidentally towards the first step of our new life together.

**AN: This was meant to be longer, but I decided that seeing as I have had this since March that nothing else was going to come. So I hope you like it.**


	4. 5 Years Later

**AN: Someone wanted me to write a five years later chapter, so here it is. Thanks to dirtypillowtalk for beta'ing.**

**"Is that too much to expect?  
That I would name the stars for you?  
That I would take you there?  
The splash of my tongue melting you like a sugar cube?"**

**Richard Silkin - Rrush**

"Jay, get in here right now," I demanded as I chased him across the living room. He darted behind the couch as I unsuccessfully tried to get some clothes on him. I don't know what he had against them, but trying to get him to wear them for more than a few hours was a chore I could have gone without.

He whined and protested once I finally managed to get him, wiggling and squirming to try and get out of my grasp.

"Jason Jenkins Masen, you do as your mother tells you or there will be no supper for you," Edward called from the doorway as he took off his shoes. My heart leapt in my chest and I wondered how, even after five years of marriage, he still had the same effect on me as the day I met him.

Jay immediately stopped fighting and let me help him into his underwear before taking off and wrapping himself around Edward's legs.

"Daddy," he squealed in delight, and Edward's face lit up as he picked Jay up and swung him in his arms. A small smile played on my lips as I took him in. He had been helping Emmett down at the logging company for the past few weeks and his body had hardened and muscled with the labor.

His red, plaid flannel shirt clung to him and you could see his chest hair peeking out from his undershirt. He had also rolled the sleeves up so that I could see his biceps flexing with each movement of his strong arms. "Hey champ, have you been giving your mother trouble?"

Jay's bottom lip jutted out in a pout and he looked at Edward with wide, innocent eyes. "I been good boy."

Edward raised his eyebrows and looked over Jay's head at me for confirmation.

I nodded and Edward placed Jay back on the ground.

"Go play with your toys for a while before dinner," he instructed him and Jay didn't hesitate to run off down the hall to his room.

Edward came over to me and wrapped his strong arms around my waist, pulling me into him. "Hello, Mrs. Masen," he purred, bending his head down to capture my lips in a deep kiss.

My breath hitched and I snaked my arms around his neck, hugging him even closer to me, not caring that he was sweaty and dirty. He smelled like wood shavings, spice, and man, and I had missed it all day.

He pulled back, cupping my face in one hand and rubbing the skin of my pregnant stomach with the other.

"How are my two favorite angels doing today?" he asked as I lay my hand over his.

"We're good. This pregnancy is much easier than Jason's," I confided, remembering how difficult it had been to juggle the morning sickness that seemed to last all day while moving house at the same time.

We had decided that living closer to town would be easier for the both of us in a long run, especially with a child on the way. We still kept the cabin, but it was more of a place to go for a weekend away. The house we had chosen was two stories and had a nice yard where I had planted flowers and even a little vegetable garden. There was also enough room for Jay to run around freely without putting himself in danger.

Edward seemed pleased to know that I was feeling okay. My mother had told me so many stories about men being distant during pregnancies and staying out late to indulge in the 'sins of the flesh' because they didn't want their wives anymore, but Edward had been the complete opposite.

He become more attentive and made sure I had everything I needed and wanted, whether it was a massage or going to the diner in town for their famous chocolate milkshakes that I craved.

"Have I told you just how much I love you today?" he asked, rocking me slowly against his chest.

"You may have mentioned something along those lines this morning before you left, but you might want to refresh my memory," I teased lightly and he chuckled, leaning down to kiss me chastely.

"Love you more than life itself, Angel," he murmured and I melted right there and then.

"And I love you even more," I replied and he shook his head.

"Impossible," he murmured, kissing away my protest that, yes, it was possible because there was no other way to describe how my chest seemed to ache and burst, practically overflowing with it, whenever he was around.

"I need to shower before dinner," he murmured against my lips, and I couldn't help pouting as he stepped away from me and out of our embrace. "You're welcome to join me," he added, his voice dropping to a low timber.

I squirmed as my hormones made themselves known and my arousal heightened. I really wished I could join him, but dinner needed to be finished and I needed to keep an eye on Jay incase he wanted anything.

I swatted him with the dishcloth that had been resting on my shoulder. "Go, before I actually take you up on that offer," I chided him, a laugh hidden in my tone, and he chuckled before sauntering off down the hall to our room.

I sighed, walking into the kitchen and remembering all the times and places that he had taken me in here. It had been before Jay was born but I could still vividly remember how free and unleashed his desire had been.

It hadn't mattered where or what I had been doing, he would simply pull me to the ground with him and strip me of my clothing before taking me wildly. I wouldn't say that his desire had tampered; it had merely been contained only to be released when we were alone at night.

I hummed to myself as I checked on the cheese soufflé through the oven door and set the table.

By the time Edward came back into the main room, his worn, light blue jeans, resting low on his hips and a clean undershirt halfway over his head, the meal was on the table.

"Jason, dinner!" I called out and it didn't take long for his feet to come pitter pattering down the hall and into the kitchen. Edward lifted him up and placed him in his chair, tying a bib around his neck, while I served out the soufflé with nice tomato and basil sauce and steamed vegetables.

"It looks beautiful, Angel," Edward complemented me, kissing the side of my head, causing a light blush to spread over my cheeks.

"Thank you," I replied, beaming at his praise.

I sat opposite Edward with Jay sitting at the head of the table between us.

"How was work?" I asked as I cut up Jay's food into small pieces, wondering if I could convince him tonight that vegetables were good things.

"Same old, same old," Edward shrugged, taking a swig of his beer "Emmett finally managed to get the courage to ask Rosa marry him."

I hummed in interest at that because Rosalie was a Spanish Amazon. Her long, gently teased blonde hair fell in waves down her back and she had legs that seemed to go on for miles. She didn't take anyone's garbage and was the bluntest, straightest person I knew.

She had managed to turn the womanizing, dimpled Emmett into a scolded, apologetic school boy in under five minutes. Edward said that Emmett was 'whipped' but when I had asked him what he meant he had just laughed and told me that it meant that Rosa had Emmett wrapped around her little finger, just like he was wrapped around mine.

"Please, tell me she said yes," I asked, knowing that Rosa's icy exterior was a result of the neglect she had suffered through as a child and that she was slightly scared of commitment.

"Surprisingly ye- Jason, use your fork." Edward cut himself off to scold Jay gently, since he had given up using cutlery and was using his hands to eat his dinner.

Jay looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar as he looked at his dad with wide eyes.

I sighed, taking his messy hands and cleaning them on his bib before giving him his fork. He pouted slightly, but took it and brought a small forkful of sauce covered soufflé up to his mouth, spreading more sauce around his mouth.

Some days I wondered how I could cope with him. If he wasn't so cute with his father's messy, unruly hair and thick eye lashed framed brown eyes I would have gone crazy.

"How was your day?" Edward asked and I smiled. After dropping out of college when I married Edward, I had taken up art as a past time. It was something I found that I was not only good at, but I enjoyed it. It relaxed and centered me. I even sometimes designed things that Edward would carve out later in his workshop.

"I finished sketching my still life painting this afternoon while Jay was taking his nap. I think it's good, one of my best yet. I can't wait until I can paint it," I said longingly.

It was one of the downfalls of my pregnancy. The chemicals in the paint I used weren't good for the baby, so I was biding my time by sketching them out. I knew that it would be a while after the baby came that I would get round to painting it, but I hoped to find the time to do it at some point.

"That's great, Angel. I'm sure we'll be able to make time for you to paint it once the baby comes," he soothed, somehow knowing where my thoughts were.

We ate the rest of dinner in silence and Edward got Jay ready for bed while I cleared up the kitchen, knowing without asking that I was too tired to do it myself. I loved how he was able to read me and respond to it without having to ask me.

Once I was done, I went into our room and stripped out of my clothes and pulled on sleep shorts and one of Edward's flannel shirts. I padded down the hall to Jay's room and watched Edward finish reading him a bedtime story.

Jay was asleep long before he had finished and Edward closed the book before glancing over at me and standing up. He came over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"You okay, angel?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, you coming to bed or are you going to do some writing?"

He sighed. "I don't feel like writing tonight. I just want to be with my wife." He had been struggling to finish his latest book, the second in his In Fear, And In War series.

I knew that his books were very close to his heart. They were chilling tales of soldiers stationed in different countries and the book itself was their diary of their life there. I saw some of the similarities in it from Edward's own time in the army and it saddened me to know just how lonely and in despair he had felt.

His first book had been published and the selling had gone well. It wasn't on any New York Times Bestseller list or anything like that, but it had done successfully none the less.

He trailed kisses up my neck and I shivered before pulling him down the hall to our room. I closed the door and settled on our bed as I watched him disrobe all the way down to his boxers. He climbed up once he was done and sat against the head board behind me. I grabbed the brush off my nightstand and moved to sit between his legs after giving it to him.

He pulled my hair out of my ponytail before starting to brush my hair in long strokes. This had been our ritual since our honeymoon, and I closed my eyes and leaned in to him, relaxing.

There was something oddly intimate about letting him do this. I let my eyes fall closed, just feeling the brush run through my hair. It always made me sleepy when he did this, and I yawned quietly as he finished and pulled my hair back into a neat braid because he knew just how much my hair annoyed me when it was free.

I thanked him shyly and ducked my head as my cheeks flushed. I was still sometimes as shy as I was before we got married, but I was no longer embarrassed about it. Not when Edward was constantly telling me how that was one the things that drew him to me and fell in love with.

We both climbed into bed and I curled up against Edward, resting my head over his heart as our entwined hands lay on his chest. Being the ever loving man that he was, he used his free hand to rub circles under the back of my shirt and hummed, sending me to sleep quickly.

It was a few hours before I woke up with the baby pressing on my bladder. I sighed as I sleepily trudged down the hall to the bathroom and relieved myself. I checked in on Jason to find him sleeping happily, his thumb in his mouth before going back into mine.

I folded my arms across my chest and sighed as I looked at Edward. He had always been a bit of a restless sleeper, especially when I wasn't around, and somehow always managed to move into the weirdest positions in his sleep.

He was currently lying across the bed on his stomach, his head hanging partly off one side, and the sheets completely tangled in his legs hanging off the other side. I climbed up onto the bed by his shoulder as he snored quietly and shook him awake.

"Edward," I murmured and his snores stuttered before his eyes flew open and he scrambled to sit up.

"I'm up, I'm awake. What do you need?" he asked, blinking rapidly before rubbing his eyes.

"Well, would it be too much to ask that my husband sleep next to me at the head of the bed and maybe not hog the sheets?" I asked teasingly. He looked sheepish and he untangled the sheets from around his legs.

"Sorry," he murmured bashfully as he moved to lie on his side of the bed next to me, pulling the sheets over our bodies. I turned to face him and snuggled into him, placing a kiss on his jaw to tell him that he was forgiven.

It wasn't as if he did it on purpose, it was just something that developed after his time in the army.

We lay with our faces inches apart and our eyes connected as our legs moved to tangle in each other. I ran a hand through his hair, pausing to scratch his scalp just the way he liked it. His eyelids fluttered and he pulled my body even closer to his.

He nuzzled my neck affectionately, scratching my skin with his stubble as his fingers unbuttoned my shirt so that he could touch my stomach freely without barriers.

I couldn't help the way my body reacted to his touch as he smoothed his hands over my stomach, rubbing and massaging it gently, and I silently cursed as my heavy breasts started to let down.

I could vividly remember the first time that it had happened when I was pregnant with Jason and how embarrassed I was when the sweet, sticky fluid had dropped from my nipples. No matter what Edward said or how much he reassured me that it was completely natural, I was still humiliated.

It was only after a lot of persuading and manipulation that he convinced me have sex with him again. He had then gone on to surprise me by sucking and lapping up my spilling milk, emptying my breasts of it. I had been shocked, but he had merely winked at me and told me that I tasted delicious.

It hadn't taken me a long time to realize that Edward had little shame. He was completely comfortable walking around naked or accosting me at inappropriate times, such as when I was on the phone with my mother.

He barely batted an eye the time Emmett walked in on us when Edward had his tongue in my mouth and his hands on my ass as he pulled me into his erection. He had just asked him to give us some privacy and picked up where he left off.

It was one of the things where we were complete opposites in. I got embarrassed by the littlest things and generally used Edward as a shield from it.

Edward pushed me to lie on my back as his lips sought my nipple, wrapping around the taut tip and suckling gently. I moaned quietly and let my head fall back amongst the pillows as my hands dived into his hair, holding him securely to me.

I squirmed as my arousal built up, causing wetness to seep out of me. Heat spread from my stomach, drifting over my body and bathing it in a light flush. One of his hands rested on my hips, rubbing the skin absently as he kneeled between my thighs, while the other held himself up so that he didn't crush my stomach.

Once he had finished with my breasts, he pulled back, resting on his knees as he pulled his boxers down. His cock sprung free and I sat up, grasping his hot flesh in my hands. It seemed funny to me that at the beginning his cock had scared me. I pumped him lightly, running my fingers over the pulsing veins and he groaned before laying his hand on mine and stopping my movement.

"Angel, if you keep that up I won't last and I want to be inside you when I cum," he murmured, a little breathless. I released him with a pout, not wanting to stop. I loved the way I could break through his usual calm and collected self and bring him to his knees - quite literally at times - with just a few touches.

He, himself, had taught me how to touch him and make him go crazy when we were on our honeymoon, the unreleased sexual tension from the last year of abstinence making me less inhibited than usual. He had even taught me how to pleasure him with my mouth, something that I had been hesitant to do, but based on his reaction to it, it was suffice to say that I kept it in my arsenal for special occasions.

I was sure that my mother wouldn't have approved of the hussy I had become, but it hadn't taken long for me to realize that I mostly didn't care anymore about what she thought.

She had coddled and sheltered me my whole life, filling my mind with lies and doubts just to keep me with her so that she wouldn't be alone. I knew that she hadn't been the same since my father died, but it took marrying Edward to show me just how much control she had, even when I was away at college.

She was still my mother and I respected her, I just wouldn't begin to dream of treating my own children that way. She would call every so often, but since I had become opinionated and didn't take too kindly to how she tried to infiltrate every corner of my life and telling me just how wrong I did every little thing, it was safe to say that it was a strained relationship at best.

In one swift movement, Edward flipped me over onto my stomach, manhandling me with ease. I scrambled up onto my hands and knees as Edward trailed kisses up my spine. He brushed my hair off my shoulder and placed his mouth by my ear, his hot breath warming my already overheated skin.

"Put your hands on the headboard," he murmured before retreating. I sat up on my knees and placed my hands on top of the headboard, the dark wood reminding me of the months Edward had spent making it before presenting it to me on my birthday.

I shivered as his hands ran slowly over my wide hips before hooking them into my shorts and pulling them down my thighs. He buried his face in the back of my neck as his hands diverted around my front and between my legs.

I gasped as his fingers glided through my wet folds, touching my swollen flesh. My body shuddered at the contact and I almost whined in protest as he took his hand away. He nudged my legs further apart so that he could fit between them and pressed his front flush against my back.

He wrapped one arm around my waist, under my stomach, and pushed forward, positioning his cock at my entrance.

"You ready, Angel?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered and he eased himself into me, slowly filling me. My lips parted in a silent moan as my head fell back onto his shoulders, my hair fanning out across his back.

"Edward," I breathed out as he started moving inside of me. There was a sense of peace, of serenity that spread through me when we were intimately joined like this.

I knew Edward put me on some kind of pedestal as some kind of angel that had saved him and I had confided in him that it made me nervous of failing him, but he had responded by telling me that being me was all he needed, both shortcomings and skills. I was his Angel, and to me it was his way of reminding himself to never take me for granted. The way he loved me surpassed anything that I had ever experienced.

When I failed, he encouraged me to try again.

When I cried, he held and convinced me that everything would be alright.

When I was tired, he would pick me up and carry me.

It may sound trite, the way I explained it, but to me, it was anything but.

He cupped my breast, gently and carefully, knowing that they were sensitive, and palmed it as his movements slowly got harder and faster. He pushed past any hesitancy, knowing that he wouldn't hurt me, and started thrusting in long, measured strokes. I moaned quietly, slipping my hand back around his slim hips and grasping his ass tightly. His chest rumbled with a groan as my hand coaxed him to give me more.

It wasn't often that he was rough with me, but it secretly thrilled me when he was. Sometimes I needed a little more than the gentle loving we usually indulged in and I knew that he felt the same at times. His lips trailed up and down the column of my neck, his hot breath fanning over it as he placed open mouthed kisses on it.

His hips pistoned back and forth and I moved to greet each thrust, sending him deeper inside of me.

"Do you like this, Angel?" he asked, placing his lips by my ear. I nodded, a whimper escaping my parted lips.

"Yes, please more, Edward," I panted, feeling the pleasure snake down my spine and wrap around me, curling in my stomach and spreading to my core.

He picked up the pace further, his hips slamming into me, forcing me to take more of him as he grunted in my ear.

My eyelids fluttered shut and I basked in the feeling of fullness that our coupling gave me.

He wrapped his arms around me, one lying over my stomach, the other dipping down between my legs to rub my clit. I mewled at the stimulation that he was giving me, my body trembling as I neared my orgasm.

Being pregnant had left me very sensitive when we had sex. Edward had even managed to make me orgasm by just playing with my breasts.

"Edward," I moaned out, and he increased his pace, his thrusts become erratic as he grunted from exertion.

"Cum for me," he begged breathlessly as he held back on his orgasm, wanting me to have mine first. I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth, trying to muffle the cries of pleasure that threatened to escape as I fell over the edge.

I shook and shuddered in his arms, letting it all go as the pleasure washed over me. It was like, for a moment, I was submerged in water, all sounds seemed to fade for a while and I basked in the peacefulness.

I was only partly aware of Edward cumming behind me before pulling out slowly and gathering me in his arms. He gently lowered us back to the mattress, both of us out of breath and flushed.

"Thank you," I mumbled, and he chuckled, moving to pull his boxers back on. I pulled my sleep shorts and shirt back on before curling in his arms.

"You okay?" He asked, brushing my hair out of my face as I started to drift off.

"Uh hmmm, great," I slurred out sleepily.

He gave me one last kiss before settling behind me, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Love you," he murmured, and I made some garbled response before slipping into sleep.

**AN: I should have finished this about a month ago, but I go stuck on the ending. Review!**


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